In a video posted by event co-organizer Palestinian Youth Movement on Instagram, an Amnesty booth could be seen in the vendor fair at the May 24-26 conference.

Human rights NGO Amnesty International had a booth at the Detroit People’s Conference for Palestine, which featured terrorist group members as speakers, honored and quoted terrorists, and promoted armed action against the State of Israel.
In a video posted by event co-organizer Palestinian Youth Movement on Instagram, an Amnesty booth could be seen in the vendor fair at the May 24-26 conference.
Amnesty USA confirmed that it had a table “to share our organization’s work around the world, especially in the ongoing conflict in Gaza,” and “offered participants the opportunity to join our petition calling for a ceasefire in Gaza,” but emphasized to The Jerusalem Post that it did not sponsor or help organize the conference.
“Participating at a conference such as this does not mean we support all the statements made during the conference, nor does it mean we support all participants,” said Amnesty USA Senior Campaign Manager Isra Chaker.
The event featured Wisam Rafeedie, who was noted in previous Amnesty reports as an activist for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – an organization listed by the US State Department as a foreign terrorist organization.
Rafeedie, who spoke remotely on Sunday because he was denied a visa, described Israel as a racist project and assured the crowd that there was “no place for the two-state solution for any Palestinian.”
He described Hamas as part of the “Palestinian people’s liberation movement, like all the resistance factions in Gaza, both Islamic and leftist.” He also encouraged participants to go on social media to dispute the events of the October 7 massacre, such as how the “resistance” engaged in “sexual assaults, killing children, and beheadings.”
Conference keynote speaker Sana’ Daqqah, wife of PFLP terrorist Walid Daqqah, spoke on Sunday in a hall named for the deceased terrorist. Daqqah died of bone marrow cancer in an Israeli prison on April 8. He was originally imprisoned for commanding the PFLP cell that abducted, tortured, and murdered Israeli soldier Moshe Tamam in 1984.

Event praises terrorist Walid Daqqah, endorses PFLP

The conference panel repeatedly referenced, praised, and quoted Daqqah and other terrorists, including Bassel al-Araj, Ibrahim al-Nabulsi, Udai Tamimi, former PFLP spokesperson Ghassan Kanafani, and convicted murderer Assata Shakur of the Black Liberation Army.
The event was endorsed by leading PFLP member Salah Salah in a May 20 Palestinian Youth Movement Instagram video.
The conference saw the frequent glorification and advocacy on behalf of the armed “resistance” as a means of achieving the ultimate objective: the destruction of the State of Israel.
“It’s very fortifying to be here with you all. This has been a marathon of eight months but for many of us, a lifelong struggle to dismantle Zionism in the State of Israel,” International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network co-founder Sara Kershnar said on a Saturday panel on Zionism and US Imperialism. “IJAN approaches the work first and foremost following the demands for the full liberation of Palestine from the river to the sea, and we stand in our own history when we do that. We stand in our own history of resistance to genocide, including the right to resist and armed resistance as part of that history. In that way, we are unequivocally with the resistance in Palestine.”
At the opening speech on Friday, activist Yar Shoufnai explained that “eight months into this war against the most well-funded militaries of the Western world, the Palestinian resistance had demonstrated to our people, to our enemy, and to the entire world the meaning of dignity of honor or resilience and of glory.”
She continued, boasting that “the Zionist occupation continues to suffer deep humiliation, both on the battlefield in Gaza and on the world stage at the hands of the mass movement that we have built. Gaza has been transformed into the graveyard of the Merkava tank, the Namer troop carrier, the D9 bulldozer, and the occupation.”
Also on Friday, American Muslims for Palestine Outreach and Community Organizing Associate Director Taher Herzallah claimed that “the long tentacles of Zionism have always reached deep into the American heartland. Like no other place in the world, Zionism has penetrated the depths of American society – economics and politics for decades.”
“They’re losing a public narrative battle; they’re losing their ability to control us, and this means that now the gloves are off, and quite frankly, anything is possible,” Hezallah said on the War on Palestine panel. “I caution you of the days to come, because they will not be easy. There are people among us today who might not be with us next year at this conference, and this is a reality because the liberation struggle requires sacrifice, and I know everyone here is prepared to make that sacrifice.”
Palestinian Youth Movement Houston’s Mohammed Nabulsi, who served as conference MC throughout the three-day event, led the conference participants in chants calling for intifada and praising Hezbollah and Houthi maritime terrorism.
“Yemen, Yemen, make us proud, turn another ship around,” said Nabulsi, who opened the conference by honoring fighters in tunnels in Gaza.
Amnesty’s presence at the conference was not the only controversial attendance. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib also made a surprise Saturday speech at the event, and Dearborn Michigan Mayor Abdullah Hammoud delivered a video address.
Amnesty International features booth at Detroit Conference for Palestine - The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com)

I personally think that Ronin is probably one of the worst written characters in Ninjago.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love early Ronin, and if I’m being honest, I never stopped liking him.
But I dislike the way the character was written.
I thought he was a great addition to the main cast when he was first introduced in Season 5.
I liked the way he went from being a massive selfish sleazball, to actually being a valued member of the team.
Plus it was nice having a more Anit-Hero character on the team.
He separated a bit from the team in Season 6, yk hunting them and all that, but he joins them again and continues being an asset, and I love the Ronin and Dareth as a duo.
I do like the introduction of Ronin’s mech in Day of The Departed.
And Ronin and Dareth’s partner ship continues into the first few episodes of hands of time.
The pair of them really felt like part of the team for the first few episodes, like Nya in Season 1, part of the team but not really part of the team yk what I mean.
But then they cut Ronin out of the rest of Season 7 with the dumbest f#cken excuse (a broken leg).
And then he disappears for the entirety of Season 8.
He then gets captured by the sons of garmadon at the beginning of Season 9, to show off the fact that they’re hunting ninja ally’s, and he was the demonstration, which in my opinion is stupid, they could’ve used a better character as the example.
And then randomly at the end of Season 9 he’s suddenly part of the main cast again like he never left, which was weird.
And then he disappears for like 5 seasons, and then re-appears at the end of The Island as the surprise reveal villain, which is piss poor writing.
I do like his speech to the inmates in Crystalised, but that doesn’t really go anywhere as they all themselves get Crystalised pretty quickly.
I mean I don’t care too much about Ultra Violet and Kilo, but Ronin, come on!
What do you guys think?

Embark on a personalized small group tour to explore the ancient redwoods of Muir Woods, the charming coastal town of Sausalito, and the panoramic views of Marin Headlands, while enjoying exceptional customer service and a seamless logistics experience.

Introduction to the Muir Woods and Sausalito Tour

Embarking on the Muir Woods and Sausalito tour offers an immersive journey through the natural wonders and cultural gems of the San Francisco Bay Area. This tour has garnered a stellar reputation for providing visitors with a well-rounded exploration of some of the region's most iconic destinations. From the towering redwoods of Muir Woods to the charming coastal town of Sausalito and the panoramic views of Marin Headlands, this excursion promises a rich tapestry of experiences that cater to diverse interests and preferences.
One of the key attractions of the Muir Woods and Sausalito tour is its ability to combine nature, culture, and history seamlessly. For instance, visitors can witness the ancient coastal redwoods in Muir Woods, some of which stand over 250 feet tall and date back 800 years, providing a glimpse into the rich ecological heritage of the region. Additionally, the picturesque town of Sausalito beckons with its artistic community, waterfront dining options, and Mediterranean-style architecture, offering a delightful contrast to the serene redwood forest. Furthermore, the panoramic views from Marin Headlands showcase the rugged beauty of Northern California and provide insights into the area's military history during World War II.
The convenience and accessibility of the Muir Woods and Sausalito tour make it a popular choice for tourists looking to maximize their time in the Bay Area. The tour's positive reviews and high visitor satisfaction rates attest to its ability to deliver a comprehensive and enjoyable experience for travelers of all ages. Whether it's exploring the ancient redwoods, indulging in the artistic ambiance of Sausalito, or admiring the coastal vistas from Marin Headlands, this tour promises unforgettable memories and a deeper appreciation for the natural and cultural heritage of San Francisco.
Click here to explore this tour now.

Muir Woods: Ancient Redwoods Experience

In Muir Woods, visitors are greeted by a majestic forest populated by coastal redwoods, also known as Sequoia sempervirens, a species unique to this region. These towering giants, reaching heights of over 250 feet, create a canopy that filters sunlight to the forest floor, fostering a tranquil and serene ambiance. The peacefulness of the redwood forest provides a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of urban life, offering a sanctuary for visitors to unwind and reconnect with nature.
Beyond their sheer size and age, the coastal redwoods in Muir Woods play a vital ecological role in supporting a diverse array of plant and animal species. The thick bark of these trees serves as a protective layer against wildfires, while their towering presence creates microclimates that support the growth of ferns, mosses, and lichens. The interdependence of flora and fauna within the redwood ecosystem underscores the delicate balance that exists within this ancient forest, highlighting the importance of conservation efforts to preserve these natural wonders for future generations.
Visitors to Muir Woods not only have the opportunity to marvel at the grandeur of the redwoods but also to immerse themselves in the rich history and cultural significance of the area. The Coastal Miwok people, indigenous to this region, have a deep connection to the land, and their presence is felt in the valleys of Marin Headlands. Exploring Muir Woods offers a glimpse into the intertwined narratives of nature and humanity, providing a holistic understanding of the redwood forest's ecological importance and cultural heritage.

Sausalito: Charming Coastal Town

Sausalito, with its scenic waterfront and artistic community, offers a charming contrast to the ancient redwoods of Muir Woods. This coastal town is renowned for its Mediterranean-style architecture, colorful houseboats, and panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay. Visitors can explore the town's quaint streets lined with galleries, boutiques, and cafes, immersing themselves in the vibrant arts scene that defines Sausalito's cultural identity.
The artistic spirit of Sausalito is palpable in its numerous galleries, showcasing a diverse range of works by local and international artists. For instance, the historic Industrial Center Building houses studios and galleries where visitors can interact with artists and witness creative processes firsthand. The artistic community in Sausalito fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation, making it a hub for artistic expression and cultural exchange. Additionally, the town's annual art festivals and events attract visitors from near and far, further solidifying Sausalito's reputation as a dynamic and creative enclave.
Sausalito's culinary scene is equally enticing, with waterfront restaurants offering a plethora of dining options that cater to every palate. From fresh seafood to international cuisine, visitors can indulge in a gastronomic journey while enjoying stunning views of the bay and the San Francisco skyline. The fusion of art, architecture, and culinary delights in Sausalito creates a vibrant tapestry of experiences that captivates visitors and leaves a lasting impression of this charming coastal town.

Marin Headlands: Panoramic Views

The Marin Headlands, with its sweeping vistas of the Pacific Ocean, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the rugged coastline of Northern California, offer a visual feast for visitors on the Muir Woods and Sausalito tour. The panoramic views from this vantage point provide a breathtaking glimpse into the natural beauty and geographical diversity of the Bay Area. Guests can witness the interplay of land and sea, marvel at the engineering marvel of the Golden Gate Bridge, and appreciate the untouched splendor of the coastal landscape.
Aside from its scenic allure, Marin Headlands holds a rich historical legacy that adds depth to the tour experience. During World War II, the headlands played a crucial role in defending the San Francisco Bay Area, with remnants of military installations still visible today. Visitors can explore these historic sites, gaining insights into the area's wartime significance and the resilience of the communities that once inhabited this rugged terrain.
A visit to the Coastal Miwok valleys in Marin Headlands offers a cultural immersion into the indigenous history of the region. The Coastal Miwok people have inhabited these lands for centuries, leaving behind traces of their presence in the form of petroglyphs and shell mounds. By exploring these valleys, visitors can appreciate the rich cultural tapestry that defines the Bay Area, connecting with the land's original inhabitants and gaining a deeper understanding of the region's indigenous heritage. The Marin Headlands, with its blend of natural beauty, historical significance, and cultural relevance, encapsulates the diverse and multifaceted appeal of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Tour Details and Options

The Muir Woods and Sausalito tour offers a range of details and options to cater to the diverse interests and preferences of visitors. The tour company specializes in providing small group tours, ensuring an intimate and personalized experience for guests. This small group setting allows for meaningful interactions with knowledgeable guides, who share insights and stories about the landmarks visited during the tour, enhancing the overall experience for participants.
In addition to standalone tours, guests can choose from a variety of combo options that combine the Muir Woods and Sausalito experience with other attractions in the Bay Area. For example, combo tours that include visits to San Francisco City, Alcatraz, or Wine Country offer travelers the flexibility to tailor their itinerary to align with their interests. These customizable options allow visitors to create a comprehensive and well-rounded exploration of the region, ensuring that each tour is unique and tailored to individual preferences.
Rates for the Muir Woods and Sausalito tour vary based on the chosen options and inclusions, with prices ranging from $79 to $239 per adult. These pricing options cater to different budgets and preferences, making the tour accessible to a wide range of travelers seeking a memorable and enriching experience in the San Francisco Bay Area. Furthermore, the tour company's commitment to providing a personalized and enjoyable experience underscores its dedication to ensuring that guests have a seamless and immersive journey through the region's most iconic destinations.

Tour Experience and Inclusions

The Muir Woods and Sausalito tour promises a comprehensive and enriching experience that goes beyond sightseeing. In addition to guided walks through the redwood forest, visitors have the opportunity to explore Muir Woods at their own pace, soaking in the natural beauty and tranquility of the surroundings. This free time allows guests to connect with nature on a deeper level, fostering a sense of appreciation and awe for the ancient redwoods and the unique ecosystem they support.
The tour provides insights into the ecological importance of the redwood forest, highlighting conservation efforts and sustainability practices aimed at preserving this natural wonder for future generations. By learning about the challenges and successes in protecting the redwoods, visitors gain a deeper understanding of the delicate balance required to maintain the ecological integrity of Muir Woods. The tour's focus on education and awareness enhances the overall experience, empowering guests to become stewards of the environment and advocates for conservation efforts.
The knowledgeable guides on the Muir Woods and Sausalito tour play a pivotal role in elevating the visitor experience. These guides not only share fascinating stories and historical facts about the landmarks visited but also create a welcoming and engaging atmosphere that fosters meaningful connections with the surroundings. By weaving narratives into the tour experience, guides bring the sites to life, offering a more immersive and memorable journey for participants. The personal touch and expertise provided by these guides contribute to the tour's positive reviews and high visitor satisfaction rates, making it a standout choice for those seeking a deeper appreciation of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Transportation and Logistics

The transportation and logistics of the Muir Woods and Sausalito tour are carefully planned to ensure a seamless and comfortable journey for all participants. The tour includes transportation by luxury coach, offering guests a relaxing and scenic ride through the Bay Area. The luxury coach provides a comfortable and spacious environment, allowing travelers to sit back, relax, and enjoy the picturesque views along the way.
Additionally, the option to return to San Francisco via ferry from Sausalito adds a touch of charm to the tour experience, allowing visitors to savor the beauty of the bay from a different perspective. The ferry ride offers a unique vantage point of the San Francisco skyline, Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz Island, enhancing the overall journey and providing a memorable conclusion to the day's explorations. The convenience of transportation options, including the luxury coach and ferry ride, adds value to the tour by offering diverse modes of travel that cater to different preferences and interests.
The departure times for the Muir Woods and Sausalito tour are scheduled to accommodate various schedules and preferences. With morning and afternoon options available, guests can select the timing that best suits their itinerary, ensuring flexibility and convenience. This thoughtful approach to scheduling allows visitors to optimize their time at each destination, maximizing their exploration of Muir Woods, Sausalito, and Marin Headlands. By providing comfortable transportation and flexible logistics, the tour company aims to enhance the overall experience and create lasting memories for all participants.

Reviews and Testimonials

Reviews and testimonials from past guests highlight the exceptional quality and value of the Muir Woods and Sausalito tour, underscoring its popularity and positive reputation. Many visitors commend the tour guides for their knowledge, professionalism, and engaging storytelling. For example, one reviewer mentioned how their guide shared captivating narratives about the history of Marin Headlands, adding depth and context to the tour experience. The guides' ability to connect with guests and provide meaningful insights enhances the overall journey and fosters a sense of appreciation for the destinations visited.
Reviews often praise the tour company for its attention to detail, seamless logistics, and commitment to sustainability and responsible tourism practices in the Bay Area. Guests appreciate the thoughtfulness that goes into planning each aspect of the tour, from transportation arrangements to guided walks and free time for exploration. The tour's dedication to providing an enriching and eco-conscious travel experience resonates with visitors, inspiring them to engage with the environment respectfully and mindfully. By prioritizing sustainability and responsible tourism, the tour company sets a standard for ethical travel practices and demonstrates a commitment to preserving the natural and cultural heritage of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Testimonials highlight the exceptional customer service provided by the tour guides, adding a personal touch to the experience. Guests often mention the guides' friendliness, professionalism, and willingness to go above and beyond to ensure a memorable trip for everyone. This personalized approach to guest interactions creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere that sets the tour apart from other travel experiences. The positive reviews and testimonials reflect the tour's dedication to customer satisfaction and its ability to create meaningful and lasting memories for all participants.

Booking and Reservations

Booking and reservations for the Muir Woods and Sausalito tour are made easy and convenient through the tour company's online platform. The user-friendly booking system allows guests to secure their spots in advance, providing peace of mind and ensuring a seamless planning process. Travelers can browse available tour options, select their preferred dates and times, and make reservations with just a few clicks, simplifying the booking process and streamlining itinerary planning.
The tour company offers flexible booking policies to accommodate changes in travel plans and ensure a hassle-free experience for visitors. Guests can make adjustments to their reservations if needed, providing greater flexibility and convenience for those navigating evolving travel schedules. The tour operator's commitment to customer satisfaction is reflected in its responsive and accommodating booking procedures, which aim to provide a stress-free and enjoyable journey for all participants.
Additionally, recommendations for booking early during peak seasons are provided to guarantee availability and avoid disappointment due to limited capacity. By planning ahead and securing reservations in advance, travelers can ensure that they have a spot on the tour and can look forward to an enriching and memorable experience. The tour company's proactive approach to booking and reservations underscores its commitment to providing guests with a seamless and enjoyable travel experience, from start to finish.

Unforgettable Memories Await

The Muir Woods and Sausalito tour stands as a beacon of exploration, offering visitors a gateway to a world of natural wonders, cultural treasures, and historical insights in the San Francisco Bay Area. From the ancient redwoods of Muir Woods to the artistic charm of Sausalito and the panoramic views of Marin Headlands, this tour weaves a tapestry of experiences that captivate the senses and ignite the imagination. By embarking on this journey, travelers can immerse themselves in the beauty and diversity of the region, creating lasting memories and forging a deep connection with the landscapes and narratives that define the Bay Area.
The allure of the Muir Woods and Sausalito tour lies not only in its scenic beauty and historical significance but also in its ability to offer a comprehensive and personalized experience for visitors of all ages. The tour's blend of nature, culture, and history provides a multifaceted exploration of the San Francisco Bay Area, allowing guests to delve into the region's rich tapestry of stories and landscapes. Whether it's marveling at the ancient redwoods, strolling through the artistic enclave of Sausalito, or gazing upon the rugged coastline from Marin Headlands, every moment on this tour is an opportunity to create enduring memories and deepen one's connection to the natural and cultural heritage of the Bay Area.
Click here to book this tour now.
Exploring Yosemite in Style: Private Hummer Tour 2024 Guide
Discover the Southwest: An Exclusive 3-Day Tour

Experience the exclusive Yosemite Private Hummer Tour, featuring lunch, transfers, and historical insights, as you immerse yourself in the beauty and history of Yosemite National Park.

Introduction to Yosemite Private Hummer Tour

Embark on an extraordinary adventure through Yosemite National Park with the exclusive private Hummer 4X4 tour, offering a unique and personalized exploration of the park's natural wonders. This exceptional tour not only includes a gourmet picnic lunch and convenient transfers but also provides a profound insight into Yosemite's rich history, making it an ideal choice for travelers seeking a truly immersive experience. By opting for this private Hummer excursion, visitors can expect VIP treatment that goes above and beyond, ensuring a memorable and enlightening tour of Yosemite's most captivating sights and stories.
In the realm of private tours in Yosemite National Park, the Hummer 4X4 tour stands out as a top-tier experience that caters to those looking for a blend of luxury, comfort, and educational value during their park exploration. As guests traverse the stunning landscapes and iconic landmarks aboard the rugged Hummer 4X4 vehicle, they not only witness the grandeur of Yosemite but also delve into the historical significance behind each stop, thanks to the knowledgeable guides accompanying them on this remarkable journey. This tour transcends mere sightseeing, serving as a gateway to the essence of Yosemite, promising an unparalleled adventure that is both enlightening and entertaining for all participants.
The private Hummer tour of Yosemite National Park is meticulously crafted to offer an exclusive and personalized experience for travelers seeking a deeper connection with the park's beauty and history. One of the standout features of this tour is the exceptional level of service provided to guests, ensuring that every aspect of their journey is seamlessly executed with attention to detail. From the moment guests are picked up for the tour to the moment they are dropped off, the focus remains on delivering a premium experience that exceeds expectations. This commitment to excellence sets the private Hummer tour apart as the epitome of luxury and sophistication in exploring Yosemite National Park.

History and Significance of Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park, established in 1890, holds a storied past that dates back over a century, solidifying its position as one of the oldest national parks in the United States. Its UNESCO World Heritage Site designation in 1984 further underscores its global importance, recognizing the park's unique natural and cultural heritage. Throughout its history, Yosemite has attracted visionaries and conservationists who have played pivotal roles in its preservation, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire environmental stewardship worldwide.
The park's significance extends far beyond its stunning landscapes and iconic features. Serving as a haven for a diverse array of plant and animal species, including the awe-inspiring giant sequoias that tower over the forest, Yosemite showcases the intricate tapestry of nature within its borders. The presence of varied wildlife, from black bears to mule deer, further emphasizes the ecological importance of the park, highlighting the delicate balance of the ecosystem within its boundaries. By immersing oneself in the private Hummer tour of Yosemite National Park, visitors not only witness the natural beauty of the park but also gain a profound appreciation for its historical and ecological significance, making Yosemite a cherished gem in the national park system.
Yosemite National Park's rich tapestry of history and significance is woven into every aspect of the private Hummer tour, offering guests a deeper understanding of the park's evolution over time. The tour guides often share anecdotes and stories about significant figures like John Muir and President Roosevelt, shedding light on their contributions to Yosemite's preservation and highlighting key moments in the park's past. By exploring these historical narratives firsthand during the tour, guests can forge a deeper connection with Yosemite's heritage and gain insights that enrich their overall park experience. This blend of natural beauty and historical context creates a multifaceted journey through Yosemite National Park that resonates with travelers seeking a comprehensive and enlightening adventure.

Private Hummer 4X4 Tour Itinerary

The private Hummer 4X4 tour of Yosemite National Park presents an exclusive and tailored itinerary that allows guests to delve into the park's beauty and history in a personalized manner. A highlight of the tour is the visit to Glacier Point overlook, renowned for its sweeping panoramic views of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, and Yosemite Falls. This stop provides guests with a breathtaking perspective of the park, immersing them in its grandeur and offering photo opportunities that capture the essence of Yosemite's iconic landscapes.
In addition to Glacier Point, the tour includes stops at The Pioneer Village History Center, where guests can engage with exhibits and demonstrations that showcase the cultural heritage of the region. This historical site offers a window into Yosemite's past, illustrating the traditions and lifestyles of early settlers in the area. By incorporating these significant landmarks into the itinerary, the private Hummer tour ensures that travelers not only appreciate the park's natural beauty but also gain a deeper understanding of its historical and cultural roots. This blend of natural wonders and cultural insights creates a multifaceted tour experience that appeals to guests seeking a comprehensive exploration of Yosemite National Park.
When crafting the itinerary for the private Hummer tour, tour operators carefully curate each stop to provide guests with a well-rounded and engaging journey through Yosemite National Park. The inclusion of optional hiking experiences allows visitors to immerse themselves in the park's wilderness, exploring hidden trails and scenic vistas that showcase Yosemite's diverse landscapes. By offering these opportunities for outdoor adventure, the tour caters to guests seeking a more active and hands-on exploration of the park, providing a deeper connection with nature and a heightened sense of discovery. This blend of sightseeing and outdoor activities ensures that the private Hummer tour appeals to a wide range of interests and preferences, making it a versatile and enriching experience for all participants.

Lunch Options and Dietary Accommodations

Delve into the culinary delights of the private Hummer tour of Yosemite National Park, where a gourmet picnic lunch awaits guests amidst the breathtaking landscapes of the park. The tour ensures quality and variety in the lunch offerings, catering to different dietary needs and preferences to provide a satisfying dining experience for all participants. Whether guests have specific dietary requirements or special requests, the tour strives to accommodate their preferences, ensuring that everyone can enjoy a delicious meal while surrounded by Yosemite's natural wonders.
For those looking to savor local flavors, the lunch options often feature fresh and locally sourced ingredients that highlight the region's culinary offerings. Imagine relishing a gourmet sandwich crafted with artisan bread, complemented by crisp, farm-fresh salads, and delectable desserts that elevate the dining experience. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or other dietary restrictions are thoughtfully considered, with flavorful alternatives that cater to diverse palates and preferences. This attention to detail in the lunch offerings not only ensures a satisfying meal but also enhances the overall ambiance of the dining experience, creating a memorable picnic amidst the splendor of Yosemite National Park.
The presentation of the picnic lunch is thoughtfully executed to elevate the dining experience, transforming it into a memorable moment of the tour. Picture unwrapping a carefully prepared lunch package at a scenic overlook, with the iconic Half Dome or Yosemite Falls as your backdrop, making every bite a sensory delight that complements the stunning vistas. This thoughtful approach to dining not only nourishes guests during their exploration but also adds a touch of elegance and indulgence to the overall tour experience, creating a culinary journey that mirrors the natural beauty and sophistication of Yosemite National Park.

Hotel Pickup and Drop-off Locations

When booking the private Hummer tour of Yosemite National Park, guests can take advantage of the convenient hotel pickup and drop-off services available at various locations. Whether staying in Oakhurst, Fish Camp, Mariposa, or El Portal, the tour ensures that guests are seamlessly transported to and from their accommodations, eliminating the need to worry about logistics. This door-to-door service adds a layer of comfort and convenience to the tour, allowing guests to focus on enjoying their exploration of Yosemite's stunning landscapes without the hassle of arranging transportation.
The flexibility in pickup times offered by the tour operator caters to the diverse schedules and preferences of guests, ensuring a personalized and stress-free experience. Whether guests prefer an early morning start to catch the sunrise over Yosemite Valley or a later pickup time to align with their itinerary, the private Hummer tour accommodates these requests with professionalism and efficiency. By providing this level of customization in hotel pickup and drop-off, the tour sets the stage for a seamless and enjoyable journey through Yosemite National Park, allowing guests to relax and immerse themselves in the beauty of the surroundings without logistical concerns.

Child Safety Measures and Family-Friendly Features

Ensuring the safety and comfort of children is a top priority during the private Hummer tour of Yosemite National Park. The tour adheres to specific safety regulations, including the mandatory use of car seats and booster seats for younger participants, guaranteeing a secure and worry-free journey through the park. For instance, children of varying ages or heights may require a car seat or booster seat to comply with safety standards and regulations, providing peace of mind to parents and guardians throughout the tour.
In addition to the safety measures in place, the family-friendly features of the private Hummer tour cater to the needs and preferences of young travelers, enhancing their overall experience. The tour often incorporates special activities and amenities tailored to engage children, such as interactive educational sessions about the park's wildlife and history or fun scavenger hunts that keep them entertained and excited during the journey. By combining safety with entertainment, the private Hummer tour ensures that families can create lasting memories together in the stunning landscapes of Yosemite National Park, fostering a sense of adventure and discovery for guests of all ages.
The private Hummer tour's commitment to providing a family-friendly experience extends to the guides and staff, who are dedicated to creating a welcoming and engaging environment for young travelers. These knowledgeable guides often engage children in educational discussions about the park's flora, fauna, and history, fostering a sense of curiosity and exploration that resonates with young minds. By encouraging interactive learning and discovery, the tour aims to inspire a lifelong appreciation for nature and conservation in children, instilling values of stewardship and environmental responsibility that are integral to Yosemite National Park's legacy.

Cancellation Policy and Refund Process

Understanding the flexibility offered by the private Hummer tour's cancellation policy is essential for guests planning their Yosemite National Park adventure. The tour allows for a full refund if canceled up to 24 hours in advance, providing guests with the freedom to adjust their plans without financial repercussions. This policy ensures that travelers can book their experience with confidence, knowing that they have the flexibility to make changes if unexpected circumstances arise.
To streamline the refund process and ensure clarity for guests, the private Hummer tour outlines the steps required to request a refund and the timeframe within which travelers can expect their reimbursement. By providing transparent and detailed information on the cancellation policy and refund process, the tour prioritizes customer satisfaction and aims to deliver a seamless booking experience for all participants. This commitment to transparency and customer service underscores the tour operator's dedication to ensuring a positive and stress-free journey through Yosemite National Park for all guests.

Traveler Reviews and Testimonials

Exploring Visitor Experiences
Travelers who have embarked on the private Hummer tour of Yosemite National Park have shared their firsthand experiences, offering valuable insights and feedback on the tour. Many guests have lauded the tour guides for their extensive knowledge of the park's history and geography, enriching the tour with engaging narratives and educational content. A reviewer commended the guide's ability to weave captivating stories about Yosemite's past, bringing the park's heritage to life and creating a memorable and immersive experience for guests. These anecdotes not only educate but also entertain, adding depth and context to the overall tour experience.
Personalized Service and Memorable Moments
Among the common themes in traveler reviews are expressions of appreciation for the personalized service provided during the private Hummer tour. Guests often highlight the guides' attentiveness to individual needs and preferences, creating a bespoke experience that caters to each group's unique interests. For instance, a review praised the guide for accommodating a special request for a scenic lunch spot overlooking Yosemite Falls, showcasing the dedication to creating unforgettable moments for guests. This commitment to personalized care and exceptional service contributes to the tour's stellar reputation and positive reviews from those who have explored Yosemite National Park in the comfort of a private Hummer.
The testimonials from previous guests underscore the tour's ability to create lasting memories and forge meaningful connections with Yosemite's natural beauty and history. Guests often mention the transformative nature of the private Hummer tour, with some describing it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience that deepened their appreciation for the park's wonders. By immersing themselves in the stories and landscapes of Yosemite National Park through the private Hummer tour, travelers leave with a sense of awe and inspiration that lingers long after the tour concludes, underscoring the lasting impact of this exceptional exploration of one of America's most treasured national parks.

Pricing Structure and Inclusions

When evaluating the pricing structure of the private Hummer tour package in Yosemite National Park, guests can gain insight into the value and offerings that make this experience exceptional. The tour package typically encompasses a private tour in a 4X4 Hummer, ensuring an exclusive and personalized journey away from the crowds. Travelers can enjoy the convenience of hotel pickup and drop-off, streamlining the logistics of the day and allowing them to focus on the beauty of Yosemite's landscapes. Additionally, bottled water is provided throughout the tour, keeping guests refreshed and hydrated as they explore the park's natural wonders.
The tour price often covers a delectable picnic lunch, offering guests a culinary experience amidst the stunning vistas of Yosemite National Park. The lunch options are varied and cater to different dietary preferences, ensuring that all guests can enjoy a satisfying meal during their adventure. For those seeking to enhance their experience further, optional upgrades may be available for an additional cost. These upgrades could include activities such as hiking, providing a deeper immersion into the natural beauty of Yosemite, or visits to specific historical sites within the park that enrich the overall tour experience. By offering these optional enhancements, the private Hummer tour allows travelers to customize their journey to align with their interests and preferences, creating a truly personalized and unforgettable experience in Yosemite National Park.

Comparison with Alternative Tour Options

The private Hummer tour distinguishes itself by providing an exclusive adventure away from the typical tourist crowds, with a maximum of only five travelers per tour. This intimate setting allows guests to enjoy a secluded and serene experience amidst Yosemite's breathtaking landscapes, fostering a deeper connection with nature and the park's natural wonders. The tranquility and exclusivity of the private Hummer tour create a sense of immersion and tranquility that sets it apart from larger group excursions, allowing guests to savor a peaceful and enriching journey through Yosemite National Park. By choosing the private Hummer tour, visitors can escape the hustle and bustle of traditional tours and embrace a unique and secluded experience that unfolds in harmony with the natural splendor of Yosemite.
Recent Articles:
Discover the Southwest: An Exclusive 3-Day Tour
Luxurious Seaside Golf Escape: NYC to Montauk by Helicopter

May 31, 2024
Dear UC Santa Cruz Community,
I write this morning to share with you that after repeated unanswered calls to have the unlawful encampment voluntarily disband and remove the dangerous blockade from the campus entrance, we made the decision to request law enforcement to remove the blockade and encampment. Law enforcement removed the barricade and the encampment; however, some demonstrators remain at the main entrance of campus. We continue to ask the campus and the community to avoid that area.
We understand there is much grief, anger, and frustration about the events that continue to unfold in Gaza and Israel, and the immense suffering of innocent people. I believe that many who have engaged in these protests over these many weeks are well-intentioned and attempting to make change through their spheres of influence. Unfortunately, the disruptions we experienced these weeks were harmful to others in our community. This decision was not made because individuals demonstrated; it was because they have chosen to do so through unlawful actions.
The road blockades, with fortified and chained barricades made of pallets and other materials, and other unlawful actions disrupted campus operations and threatened safety, including delaying access of emergency vehicles. We have attempted to avoid conflict or the involvement of law enforcement to address the encampment disruptions over the past month. We have consistently communicated to encampment organizers that campus safety and security are our highest priorities. In one particularly worrisome incident Tuesday, an emergency medical vehicle was prevented from entering a facility in which a toddler was in distress. Minutes and seconds can be the difference between life and death in an emergency. Actions such as this demonstrate a continued lack of regard for our campus community.
Since the encampment began, first at the Quarry Plaza and then at the main entrance, participants have been given repeated, clear directions to address safety issues, cease camping and cease blocking access to numerous campus resources and to the campus itself. Early this morning, they were also given multiple warnings by law enforcement to leave the area and disband to avoid arrest. Unfortunately, many refused to follow this directive and a number of individuals were arrested.
Having law enforcement remove the unlawful encampment from campus is not an action we wanted to take or have taken lightly. For the past month, we have sought to de-escalate campus disruptions and road blockades, and encouraged the voluntary disbanding of the unlawful encampments. The individuals at the encampments have been repeatedly informed about the policies that their actions violated. They continued to ignore university directives, including those related to safety, and have sought conflict, actively escalating tensions within our campus community, harming those who are simply trying to learn, teach, and do their jobs in support of our educational mission.
Despite negotiating in good faith over the course of a full week when the encampment first began at the Quarry Plaza in an effort to reach its voluntary removal, we were unable to come to an agreement that was within our authority and aligned with the values of UC Santa Cruz. As the chancellor for the entire university, I must be firm when the demands of one group undermine the rights of others. In this case, the demonstrators demanded that we end relationships with organizations that support our Jewish students and funders that support important student success work and happen to be Jewish organizations. They demanded that UC Santa Cruz divest from and boycott companies affiliated with Israel, a demand that the UC Office of the President has already addressed and deemed unacceptable. Most worryingly, they demanded that we curtail the foundational right of academic freedom by condemning the use of funding from select federal agencies. Functionally, the encampment wanted to prevent our researchers from pursuing research related to topics with which they disagree. This is a dangerous precedent and to give in to it would undermine academic freedom and make our academic community vulnerable to the values of whatever political force seeks to prevent free inquiry.
As we have shared in previous messages, we continue to be ardent supporters of free speech. While some actions by individuals fall within First Amendment protection, many other activities over the past weeks did not, and should be called what they were: unlawful disruptions, vandalism, and intentional harming of our community. Because of this morning’s events, the campus community will continue to notice a higher presence of law enforcement on campus.
We know there will be disagreement about this decision and the steps taken to support campus safety. However, our ultimate responsibility is for the safety and well-being of this campus. It was a necessary decision at a critical time.
Sincerely, Cindy

May 31, 2024
Dear UC Santa Cruz Community,
I write this morning to share with you that after repeated unanswered calls to have the unlawful encampment voluntarily disband and remove the dangerous blockade from the campus entrance, we made the decision to request law enforcement to remove the blockade and encampment. Law enforcement removed the barricade and the encampment; however, some demonstrators remain at the main entrance of campus. We continue to ask the campus and the community to avoid that area.
We understand there is much grief, anger, and frustration about the events that continue to unfold in Gaza and Israel, and the immense suffering of innocent people. I believe that many who have engaged in these protests over these many weeks are well-intentioned and attempting to make change through their spheres of influence. Unfortunately, the disruptions we experienced these weeks were harmful to others in our community. This decision was not made because individuals demonstrated; it was because they have chosen to do so through unlawful actions.
The road blockades, with fortified and chained barricades made of pallets and other materials, and other unlawful actions disrupted campus operations and threatened safety, including delaying access of emergency vehicles. We have attempted to avoid conflict or the involvement of law enforcement to address the encampment disruptions over the past month. We have consistently communicated to encampment organizers that campus safety and security are our highest priorities. In one particularly worrisome incident Tuesday, an emergency medical vehicle was prevented from entering a facility in which a toddler was in distress. Minutes and seconds can be the difference between life and death in an emergency. Actions such as this demonstrate a continued lack of regard for our campus community.
Since the encampment began, first at the Quarry Plaza and then at the main entrance, participants have been given repeated, clear directions to address safety issues, cease camping and cease blocking access to numerous campus resources and to the campus itself. Early this morning, they were also given multiple warnings by law enforcement to leave the area and disband to avoid arrest. Unfortunately, many refused to follow this directive and a number of individuals were arrested.
Having law enforcement remove the unlawful encampment from campus is not an action we wanted to take or have taken lightly. For the past month, we have sought to de-escalate campus disruptions and road blockades, and encouraged the voluntary disbanding of the unlawful encampments. The individuals at the encampments have been repeatedly informed about the policies that their actions violated. They continued to ignore university directives, including those related to safety, and have sought conflict, actively escalating tensions within our campus community, harming those who are simply trying to learn, teach, and do their jobs in support of our educational mission.
Despite negotiating in good faith over the course of a full week when the encampment first began at the Quarry Plaza in an effort to reach its voluntary removal, we were unable to come to an agreement that was within our authority and aligned with the values of UC Santa Cruz. As the chancellor for the entire university, I must be firm when the demands of one group undermine the rights of others. In this case, the demonstrators demanded that we end relationships with organizations that support our Jewish students and funders that support important student success work and happen to be Jewish organizations. They demanded that UC Santa Cruz divest from and boycott companies affiliated with Israel, a demand that the UC Office of the President has already addressed and deemed unacceptable. Most worryingly, they demanded that we curtail the foundational right of academic freedom by condemning the use of funding from select federal agencies. Functionally, the encampment wanted to prevent our researchers from pursuing research related to topics with which they disagree. This is a dangerous precedent and to give in to it would undermine academic freedom and make our academic community vulnerable to the values of whatever political force seeks to prevent free inquiry.
As we have shared in previous messages, we continue to be ardent supporters of free speech. While some actions by individuals fall within First Amendment protection, many other activities over the past weeks did not, and should be called what they were: unlawful disruptions, vandalism, and intentional harming of our community. Because of this morning’s events, the campus community will continue to notice a higher presence of law enforcement on campus.
We know there will be disagreement about this decision and the steps taken to support campus safety. However, our ultimate responsibility is for the safety and well-being of this campus. It was a necessary decision at a critical time.
Sincerely,
Cindy
Cynthia Larive Chancellor

By Jacob Crosse
This past weekend, the “People’s Conference for Palestine” was held in Detroit, Michigan over three days, from May 24 through May 26. Organizers for the event stated that over 3,500 people attended.
The steering committee for the conference included 15 organizations, among which were the Palestinian Youth Movement, National Students for Justice In Palestine, the ANSWER Coalition (associated with the Party for Socialism and Liberation), Arab Resource and Organizing Society (AROC), Writers Against the War on Gaza, and Healthcare Workers for Palestine.
Despite the peaceful character of the event, police were a constant presence on the streets and outside the convention center. Several Palestinian speakers slated to appear at the event were delayed or were not able to attend in person, due to fascistic restrictions imposed on their travel by the US/NATO governments.
The stated goal of the conference, according to a program signed by the Steering Committee, was to provide “a space to assess, strategize and prepare for what is required for us in the next phase of the struggle.” However, the political perspective that dominated did not present a viable way forward.
Several panels did feature harrowing testimony of the situation in Gaza. In a recorded video message, Hind Khoudary, a journalist in Gaza who has been displaced since November 2023 said, “We are not only fearing air strikes, we are fearing famine.” She documented the catastrophic situation produced by Israel’s bombardment and the difficulties confronting journalists, who have themselves been targeted by airstrikes.
In a session titled, “Cutting Ties with Zionism in the Workplace,” former Google worker Ariel Koren discussed her experience trying to fight back against the implementation of Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion contract between Google, Amazon and the Israel Defense Forces that provides the military a suite of computer and artificial intelligence tools used to facilitate the oppression and extermination of the Palestinian people.
Koren explained that as part of the contract, Google is required to build “whatever cloud tools and AI tools the Israeli government and military ask for without asking any questions themselves. Google has no right to regulate or oversee or even know anything about how these get used on the ground and which government and military agencies are the beneficiaries of these tools.” Among the tools provided to the IDF are “facial detection, automatic image categorization, object tracking, and even sentiment analysis.”
Taghreed Ahmed, a member of the Palestinian Transport Union, explained that “Israel controls the conditions of workers” and that “over 9,000” workers were taken prisoner by Israel following October 7. While in Israeli custody, many workers were tortured and “over 80” are still missing.
Despite the IDF offensive on Gaza, Ahmed said that after workers were released they asked to return to the city to be with their families.
Before October 7, Ahmed said that over 32,000 workers in Gaza were granted permits to work in Israel, but not a single permit has been granted in over seven months. In order to survive, Ahmed said many working class families have resorted to selling their possessions, including furniture.

A political orientation to the Democratic Party

Despite the objective and empirical testimony provided by many of the panelists and speakers, the basic political perspective that emerged was thoroughly bankrupt: that of pressuring the Democratic Party.
The opening plenary event set the framework for the conference that followed. References to the crimes of the Israeli regime were combined with a great deal of chanting and slogans.
To the extent that anything was said about the background of the genocide, it was only in relation to the history of the Palestinian struggle. But even here, there was no examination of the essential experiences of this history, including the role of the bourgeois nationalist states in the Middle East in facilitating the repression of the Palestinians by Israel and imperialism.
In her keynote speech, Yara Shoufani of the Palestinian Youth Movement spoke of “historic revolutions” from “the Great Arab Revolution of 1936” … to “the popular revolution launched in the camps of Lebanon and Jordan”… to “the first and second intifadas.” Another speaker suggested that the “resistance” would last another “100 years” before victory.
To be blunt, the people in Gaza do not have another 100 years. The genocide in Gaza has already led to the deaths of over 36,000 people officially, a significant under-count, while hundreds of thousands are on the brink of famine.
Neither in the introduction nor in any of the panels and plenary sessions was there a single reference to the broader war of which the genocide is a part. In particular, no speakers addressed the escalating US-NATO war against Russia over Ukraine, backed by the Democratic Party, which threatens to develop into a nuclear exchange.
Israel’s genocide, supported by the US and NATO imperialist powers, cannot be defeated by the resistance of the Palestinian people alone, no matter how self-sacrificing. It is necessary to mobilize the international working class, which has the social and economic power to oppose imperialism.
The political perspective presented at the conference, however, worked against this. On Saturday, the conference organizers welcomed a “guest appearance” by Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
In his last social media post before he was assassinated by the US-backed Israel Defense Forces last December, Prof. Refaat Alareer, tweeted, “The Democratic Party and Biden are responsible for the Gaza genocide perpetrated by Israel.” Why a member of the party responsible for not only backing Israel for decades, but murdering Alareer and tens of thousands of other Palestinians, would be welcomed into the conference was never explained.
In her brief comments, Tlaib attacked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him a “war criminal.” She refused to apply the same label to Netanyahu’s patron and top weapons supplier, President Joe Biden. Instead she appealed to the president she helped elect in 2020, imploring him: “I hope you hear us loud and clear.”
Tlaib did not attempt to provide an explanation as to why the Biden administration and her “colleagues” in the Democratic Party have not only refused to listen to over eight months of sustained peaceful protests, but instead have overseen the police repression of the protests.
Tlaib said it was “shameful” that her “colleagues” voted to send “$14 billion to the apartheid regime,” while “seniors” in her district ask her, “When are we going to get an increase in Social Security?”
While Tlaib and a few other Democrats voted against providing military funding to Israel, she said nothing about her “yes” vote in the same $95 billion package to send over $61 billion to the fascistic Ukrainian government in order to continue the proxy war against Russia.
The deliberate omission of Ukraine on the part of Tlaib and the conference organizers was not a mistake. By presenting the genocide in Gaza, which is one front in the US/NATO global re-division of the world that includes Ukraine and the conflict with Iran and China, as an isolated episode, the organizers and participants could present different factions of the capitalist ruling class, and their adjuncts in the trade union bureaucracy, as “allies” to the Palestinian people, and to the “revolution.”

PSL backs “Uncommitted” trap

Joining Tlaib at the conference was her sister, Layla Elabed, who, alongside Party for Socialism and Liberation co-founder and ANSWER National Coordinator Brian Becker, led the penultimate plenary on Sunday, titled “Uncommitted Votes and the Fracturing of the Two Party System.”
As the WSWS has previously explained, the purpose of the Uncommitted campaign is to promote the illusion that the Democratic Party and Biden can be “pressured” from below via symbolic votes or empty ceasefire resolutions. Organizers for the Uncommitted campaign, including Elabed, who told the New York Times in February that she “has not ruled out” voting for Biden in November, have been clear that the purpose of “uncommitted” is not to “Abandon Biden” or the Democratic Party, but to “push” him to adopt their position.
Despite tens of thousands of people voting “uncommitted,” the Biden administration, with the support of both the Democrats and Republicans, continues to send weapons to Israel which are being used to ethnically cleanse Rafah. This did not prevent Elabed from presenting the campaign as a success. Speaking next to Becker, she said it sent “a clear message to Biden and the Democratic Party.”
Elabed said, “This is our way of telling Joe Biden he is being held accountable. That he needs to do, in order to save...if he really believed in saving his re-election, if he really believed in fighting fascism, if he believed in fighting for democracy, then he should be pro-Palestinian. He should be demanding a ceasefire now.”
Elabed cautioned against breaking with the Democratic Party, “before November we have a number of primaries happening, state house elections and congressional and senate seats. We need to protect our ceasefire candidates, if anything you come out and you vote and you send people like Rashida and [Missouri Rep.] Cori Bush and our pro-peace anti-war folks back to Capitol Hill and back in our state house.”
Lending support to Elabed and the Democratic Party’s electoral campaigns, Becker replied, “I want to shout out the Listen to Michigan campaign, and the Uncommitted campaign because given the available options, which are so limited in this tortured form of democracy, these women the other organizers have used the electoral arena to register something that Biden couldn’t ignore, which is the majority of the base of the Democratic Party in particular says ‘no’ to his policy in Palestine.”
Working in tandem with the Democrats to divert energy towards protest stunts, and away from building an independent movement in the working class, Becker later revealed that the same forces behind the Palestine Conference will be organizing a June 8 demonstration at the White House.

The promotion of the UAW apparatus

Several panels at the Palestine Conference featured the words “labor” and “Zionism” without ever critically examining the role of the US-based trade unions in supporting US imperialism and Israel’s genocide. There was no discussion on current UAW president Shawn Fain’s endorsement of “Genocide Joe.”
The conference featured various “reform” union factions, including Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), and several current and retired union bureaucrats, including UAW Local 4811 president Rafael Jaime and former president and bargain chair of UAW Local 909 in Detroit, Frank Hammer.
UAW Local 4811 comprises 48,000 graduate student workers and researchers in the University of California. Pressure from the rank-and-file compelled the UAW to initiate a strike, but the apparatus has sought to limit it to a handful of campuses, employing the “stand-up strike” tactic used to shut down the auto strike last year. It has also done nothing to inform autoworkers and other members of the union outside California about this highly significant political strike against the genocide in Gaza
Speaking in a panel, “The Role of Labor Unions in Palestinian Struggle,” Jaime tried to take credit for “organizing” the union in order to put it into a position to strike.
The chasm between workers’ desire to fight and the union bureaucrats’ reticence was present throughout Jaime’s comments. After joining what would become Local 4811 in 2016, Jaime admitted that even by 2018 “most workers didn’t even realize they had a union. And so, what we were able to win in 2018 was very limited.” Turning to the current struggle, Jaime said,

I think that the media will focus mostly on the strike and make it seem like all you have to do is press a button and it happens. And I just want it to be, very emphasized, that the work that’s taken to organize, to be able to actually respond to the moment with this kind of action, it’s been years of tireless work.

Near the end of his presentation, Jaime listed the various circumstances through which the union was prepared to call off the strike: “If the university doesn’t resolve its [Unfair Labor Practices], if it doesn’t guarantee the right to peacefully protest, allow protesters to speak up for justice in Palestine, then more campuses are going to go out on strike.”
Throughout his entire presentation Jaime never once mentioned that UAW President Shawn Fain endorsed Biden and stood by as UAW members protesting the genocide were dragged out of the convention where this nomination was announced.

The way forward

The perspective advanced at the “People’s Conference for Palestine,” in which ANSWER and the PSL play a dominant role, is a dead-end. It is not through appeals to the political establishment and the trade union apparatus that the fight against the genocide must be developed, but through a political struggle in the working class.
For nearly eight months, millions of people around the world have taken to the streets, campuses and government centers to demand an end to the genocide. Despite the overwhelmingly peaceful character of the protests, thousands have been arrested and assaulted by police.
Young people and workers opposed to the genocide, outraged by the daily atrocities, sickened by the support for Israel’s actions by the Biden administration and the imperialist powers, confront serious political questions that require serious and revolutionary answers.
The perspective of “pressuring” governments and corporations to adopt more humanitarian policies has proven to be less than useless. At the same time, the trade union apparatus, integrated into the state, is working to suppress the class struggle and subordinate workers to the ruling class policy of global war.
As WSWS International Editorial Board Chairman David North explained in a lecture in March on the suicide of Aaron Bushnell, the basic and urgent task is to mobilize “the only social force which actually has in its power, in its objective role in the whole process of capitalist production, in its position in the forces of production, its potential economic strength, its global character, the ability to bring capitalism to its knees, to destroy the very foundations of militarism.”
The political program upon which the struggles of the working class must develop is the program of socialist revolution.

This was something I wanted to use in a comment here but it was too long, so I'm putting it here with the lead-in from the comment:

An essential element is the charisma of NSA's leaders. Theoretically, charisma is an event which takes place between a leader and a group. Charisma exists only as it is perceived in someone by others and cannot be artificially produced. Source

Of course, sometimes the way a person, like an SGI leader, is described to someone else can set that other person's expectations, prime their perceptions, to regard this SGI leader as someone worthy of an extra helping of respect and admiration, provided that person is susceptible to being led in that way. That's a function of the SGI indoctrination, to regard the leadership as "special", as automatically possessing superior wisdom and understanding (which is all that qualifies them to dole out "guidance" to everyone at a lower leadership level than themselves). However, when someone isn't in thrall to that kind of delusional thinking, the SGI leader often comes off poorly, as in Eddy Canfor-Dumas' book The Buddha, Geoff and Me (2005). While I was still in SGI, a friend asked me to read it, so I got ahold of a used copy and gave it a read. It left me totally WTF, honestly - I think you'll get an idea why from this section.
Eddy, the protagonist, has this on-off girlfriend who is Jewish and who strenuously objects to the concepts of "karma" and "cause and effect" because those lead to the conclusive, inescapable, irrevocable, and completely unacceptable conclusion that the Jews themselves were responsible for the death camps like Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Bergen-Belsen and the whole of the Holocaust itself! We've noted the same problem here - holding the victims accountable for their own victimization! If you're already "going there" already, it's only a tiny baby step to extend that to the Jews who were exterminated by the Nazis in WWII - and his girlfriend could see that clearly, even if poor Eddy couldn't (or wouldn't). As you can see here, this concept, that the Jews were ultimately responsible for their own victimization, that they CHOSE that, does exist within these silly weird religions that put so much faith in "karma". Eddy can't explain; he's left embarrassed and she's angry. It starts in Chapter 8 (p. 123); here's the relevant piece:

Perhaps if [SGI-UK member] Geoff talked to her like he talked to me, if he convinced her, charmed her, reassured her that this Buddhism thing I was getting interested in wasn't a load of old nonsense ⏤ well, perhaps we'd be all right after all. She wouldn't be a walk-on in the first act of my story; she'd be the girl the boy meets and loses and wins in the end. Perhaps. (p. 141)

As you can see, Eddy is counting on Geoff's "charisma" to impress his girl. But it doesn't go quite as he expects:

'So,' said Angie after a while, 'Ed says you've got a Buddhist explanation for the Holocaust.'
Geoff smiled. 'It's my explanation,' he said. 'it's not an official line or anything. It's how I've made sense of it, through Buddhism.'
'Can you make sense of it?'
'I've tried.'
'OK. Fire away.' Angie sipped her wine and smiled sweetly, but I knew that look. Inside she was coiled, ready to pounce on any statement that in any way suggested the victim was culpable.

As if that's a BAD thing! Why shouldn't people be on their guard when a stranger is clearly ready to launch into a sales pitch of some kind?

Geoff took a deep breath and launched in. 'Right. Well, first off, I want to make it clear that nothing I say should be taken in any way to justify what the Nazis did.

Uh-oh - not off to a great start, I'm afraid 😒

'That was disgusting, an atrocity, and the people who did it and supported it are totally responsible for their actions. OK?'
Angie nodded and sipped her wine, watching him closely.
'And from a Buddhist perspective they've created terrible karma for themselves in doing what they did.'
'Karma ⏤ that's the punishment they're going to suffer in the future?'
'Not punishment, exactly. It's the effects you experience as a result of causes you make, good or bad. So if you cause suffering at some point you'll suffer in return.'
'Which means all the Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust must have made the cause at some point to die like that ⏤ which I absolutely refuse to accept.'
'That sounds outrageous to you?'

WHAT?? How could it NOT??

'Totally.'
Geoff grunted. 'Ed said members of your family were killed.' He glanced at me.
'On my mother's side, yes. Her mother's parents, two brothers, cousins, uncles and aunts. My grandmother was the only one who got out, on the kindertransport. If she hadn't I wouldn't be here.'
Geoff shook his head. 'Terrible. So anything that even hints the victim is somehow responsible feels like a real insult.'
'Yes.'
He sighed. 'I know. It's very hard, even if you believe in the eternity of life, like I do. But for me the question isn't so much what causes did these people make to suffer like this, because I think that's impossible to answer⏤'
'That's convenient,' said Angie tartly.
'For me,' said Geoff, ignoring her tone, 'the important question isn't what causes people made in their past lives but what people do in this life. What makes people behave like the Nazis did to the Jews? Why did other people let it happen ⏤ or not? In Denmark, for example, the vast majority of Jews were hidden by the non-Jewish population, or helped to escape, whereas in Poland they weren't. And for me, above all, the crucial question is what can we all do to make sure it doesn't happen again?'
'Only it has, hasn't it?' I said. 'Rwanda.'
'Exactly,' said Geoff.
'Exactly what?' said Angie, still seething. But at least she hadn't walked out, which i suspect she would have done by now if it had been just the two of us.
'Well, I reckon,' said Geoff, 'everything boils down to what Buddhism calls the world of Anger. Which isn't just losing your temper. It's ego, identity, how you define yourself as separate from other people; the rest of the universe, in fact.'
Angie crossed her arms and legs and gazed at him, aggression shining from every pore.
Geoff ignored it. 'One way we do it is in opposition to other people, or groups of people, often putting "them" down to make "us" ⏤ our group ⏤ feel better or superior. You see it in football supporters, nations, religions, political groups ⏤ everywhere.'

Especially in how certain SGI members attack this SGIWhistleblowers ex-SGI members' support group, all the while bragging that they are "Bodhisattvas of the Earth", clearly superior to everyone else.

'And?' Angie's tone was harsh, impatient.
'And taken to extremes,' said Geoff, 'that attitude can be used to justify anything "our group" decides is good for us, and to ignore anything "that group" says or wants. They don't count; our needs come first.

Just like how those SGI member-attackers insist that what they're doing somehow qualifies as "right speech", even though it's the OPPOSITE of the actual definition!

'So time and again through history you see groups of people who've wiped out other groups they've classed as enemies or a threat or inferior in some way. The Mongols did it right across Asia. We Europeans did it to millions of "darkies" during the whole period of colonialism. White people wiped out or ethnically cleansed millions of indigenous people when they settled the Americas. And we're still doing it.'
'How?' Angie sounded incredulous, and even I was taken aback.
Geoff ploughed on. 'Every year,' he said, 'millions of people in developing countries die from poverty, disease, hunger, malnutrition; more people every year than died in the six years of the Second World War, including the Holocaust. In fact, some people call this the Silent Holocaust. We know about it but we let it happen ⏤ because it suits us, our lifestyles.'
Angie looked floored for a moment. 'How do we let it happen?'
'Because a lot of this death is the result of international debt and unfair trade policies skewed toward the West. We benefit, so we do little or nothing to change it.'
Angie's eyes narrowed. 'If you're saying that me buying a cup of coffee from Starbucks or wherever is the same as the Nazis shovelling men, women and children in to the gas chambers . . . well, that is such complete crap. And trying to make the link, to make them equivalent ⏤ I find that disgusting.'
Geoff didn't turn a hair. 'I'm not saying it's equivalent. I'm saying what the Nazis did isn't unique or even unusual. It's an extreme case of what human beings have done since for ever: denigrate, devalue, disregard other human beings when it suits them.'

Oooh - sick self-burn, bruh!

Angie stared at him with naked hostility, and inside I groaned. If I'd known he was going to start sounding like Red Pete I'd never have put him anywhere near her, because she was basically a Daily Mail editorial on legs.

"Red Pete" was "a bloke from college" who was always involved in causes - protests, leaflets, rallies, etc. (p. 148)

But he hadn't said any of this to me. He'd talked about history, about how Christians had felt insulted by Judaism because it denied that Jesus was the son of God; and how the Jews were often feared as alien because they were a tight-knit and self-reliant community, forced into separate development by persecution. And a lot of the time people were simply jealous of them because they were so successful in trade and business. 'Look at how Jewish businesses were destroyed by the Nazis, or stolen,' he'd said. 'That shows where a lot of anti-Semitism was coming from: greed and envy.'

But what of Dickeda's "eternal clear mirror 'guidance'" from 1990? That says that everything in one's environment is simply a reflection of one's own life?? Where did THAT go?? IF others were reacting to them with "greed and envy", then isn't it OBVIOUS that "greed and envy" are firmly entrenched in those victims' LIVES, because by definition the others were simply a reflection?? Take it up with Sensei.

But ⏤ and this was the bit that brought me up short ⏤ he'd also wondered how the Jews calling themselves the Chosen People might have affected non-Jews. 'Anyone who sets themselves up as special in some way ⏤ even if they are special ⏤ is always going to be targeted by other people',' he'd said. 'It's not nice, but it's a fact. Like, we had this rich kid at school who really thought he was a cut above us, and we all hated him, wanted to bring him down to size. So we bullied him ⏤ including me, I'm ashamed to say. And with the Nazis ⏤ well, they were the Chosen People too, weren't they? Aryans, the Master Race. And you can't have two Chosen People, so they tried to wipe out the Jews. Horrible.'

But - and hear me out here - according to THAT logic, if the Jews hadn't felt themselves to be superior Chosen People, then the Nazis wouldn't have felt compelled to exterminate them - right? So THAT argument makes it the JEWS' fault! THEY essentially created the "effect" of being exterminated through their "cause" of ego, hubris, and superiority!

I'd had to think hard about all this. It went beyond labels like 'good' and 'evil' to basic human attitudes like resentment, fear, and jealousy. It sort of made sense to me, but then I wasn't Jewish.

When YOU aren't involved, it's EASY to make it into an abstraction, something just theoretical that isn't involved with anything real and doesn't really make any difference, practically speaking.

I didn't know how it would sound to someone more closely involved ⏤ like Angie. I hoped she might just be able to consider it without getting all worked up. But somehow the conversation had taken the wrong track and come off the rails. Time to rescue the situation. I opened my mouth ⏤ but too late.
'There is no way,' Angie hit back, 'that you can equate people starving in the Third World to the Holocaust. That was genocide ⏤ one group deliberately targeting another people and trying to exterminate them. And even talking of them in the same breath is an insult to the six million Jews who were deliberately, wilfully, systematically murdered.'
'Fair point,' I said, desperate to appease her. Geoff wouldn't budge.
'If governments follow economic and trade policies that they know result in massive numbers of deaths,' he said, 'does it matter what it's called? And how different are we from people living in Germany during the Holocaust if we know our governments are doing this but turn our backs on it?'
I winced again and waited for the explosion.
Angie looked at Geoff as if he were from another planet. 'So now I'm as bad as the people who supported Hitler?'
'Look, I don't want to upset you, Angie,' Geoff said.

Notice he didn't say "No, of COURSE not!"

She snorted with derision.

Fair.

'All I'm saying is the Nazis blamed their problems on the Jews and consciously decided to get rid of them. We sacrifice other people indirectly, by building our wealth on structures and systems that cause incredible suffering in poorer parts of the world. And basically we think that's OK, or not enough of us care enough to stop it.'

Just look at the "Big Ideas" pouring out of this SGI member to justify doing DICK! Where have we seen THAT before??

Angie sighed and stared at her empty wine glass.
I leapt in. 'Another one?'
'No, thank you.' Her answer was clipped, terse. She composed herself and looked up at Geoff. 'Is this Buddhism ⏤ or communism? Because it sounds identical to the sort of crap you hear from those people who riot about the "evils of globalisation" and capitalism. Despite the fact that every society, when it gets freedom, freely chooses the free market.'
'Actually, I did used to be very left-wing,' Geoff admitted cheerfully, 'till I realised neither communism nor capitalism's got the whole story. And if you base your society on ideas that are incomplete, sooner or later you're going to hit the buffers.'
'What do you mean by "incomplete"?' Angie asked, her critical antennae still quivering furiously.
'Ideas that don't understand cause and effect properly, or don't reflect life accurately. Or exclude whole groups of people ⏤ like women, or savages, or Jews, or non-Aryans, or non-Christians, non-believers, the rich, the poor, the working class, the bourgeoisie. You name it.'
'Meaning, I suppose, every idea except Buddhism.' The contempt in her voice was so heavy I sensed the conversation might be drawing to a close.

I'm surprised Eddy didn't use the word "incredulous" anywhere here - I can only imagine that was how Angie was feeling, at this guy's effrontery and smug self-satisfaction.

But again, Geoff sailed over it. 'Well, even most Buddhist teachings are incomplete,' he said. 'Some of them say women can't become enlightened, for example.' He flashed her a warm smile, but it was far too late for that.
'How very enlightened,' Angie replied ⏤ her one joke of the evening.
'Exactly. Not the sort I practice, though.' He smiled again.
'So there is hope for me,' she said dryly. 'As long as I follow your example, hmm?'
'As far as I'm concerned,' said Geoff, 'the important thing isn't what people practise, or even what they believe ⏤ it's how they actually behave towards each other.'

Yes, if only the Nazis had been nicer to the Jews, which we're all confident they would've been if the JEWS hadn't been such offensive individuals!

Angie looked at him a moment. 'Right,' she said. She held his gaze a while longer, then gave a short sigh, grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder. 'Well,' she said, getting to her feet, 'it's been very informative. Thank you for the drink.' She headed for the door.
I jumped to my feet and ran after her. 'Angie!'
She turned and looked at me.
'Come on, stay for another one.'
'No thanks,' she said, glancing daggers over my shoulder at Geoff. 'I've had a long day and I want to get home.'
'Angie . . .' I pleaded.
'OK?'
The two letters were laden with a warning that froze me dead. Helpless, I watched her push open the door and turn out of sight along the street. Out of sight and out of my life for ever? (pp. 149-156)

It's so easy for those who aren't involved in a specific situation to be glib, insensitive, and callous to the concerns of those who are involved. "Karma" is their "get-out-of-caring-free" card. The sort of pontificating and grand generalizing that Geoff was engaging in, demonstrating such privileged, entitled DETACHMENT, is deeply non-compassionate. "I don't HAVE to care because c'mon, it was all their own fault, they deserved it, everyone can see that."

Not getting any interviews.
https://preview.redd.it/roezo5q5qs3d1.png?width=861&format=png&auto=webp&s=398cdfc619d7467f7e81dea8046343915b045647

May 31, 2024
Dear UC Santa Cruz Community,
I write this morning to share with you that after repeated unanswered calls to have the unlawful encampment voluntarily disband and remove the dangerous blockade from the campus entrance, we made the decision to request law enforcement to remove the blockade and encampment. Law enforcement removed the barricade and the encampment; however, some demonstrators remain at the main entrance of campus. We continue to ask the campus and the community to avoid that area.
We understand there is much grief, anger, and frustration about the events that continue to unfold in Gaza and Israel, and the immense suffering of innocent people. I believe that many who have engaged in these protests over these many weeks are well-intentioned and attempting to make change through their spheres of influence. Unfortunately, the disruptions we experienced these weeks were harmful to others in our community. This decision was not made because individuals demonstrated; it was because they have chosen to do so through unlawful actions.
The road blockades, with fortified and chained barricades made of pallets and other materials, and other unlawful actions disrupted campus operations and threatened safety, including delaying access of emergency vehicles. We have attempted to avoid conflict or the involvement of law enforcement to address the encampment disruptions over the past month. We have consistently communicated to encampment organizers that campus safety and security are our highest priorities. In one particularly worrisome incident Tuesday, an emergency medical vehicle was prevented from entering a facility in which a toddler was in distress. Minutes and seconds can be the difference between life and death in an emergency. Actions such as this demonstrate a continued lack of regard for our campus community.
Since the encampment began, first at the Quarry Plaza and then at the main entrance, participants have been given repeated, clear directions to address safety issues, cease camping and cease blocking access to numerous campus resources and to the campus itself. Early this morning, they were also given multiple warnings by law enforcement to leave the area and disband to avoid arrest. Unfortunately, many refused to follow this directive and a number of individuals were arrested.
Having law enforcement remove the unlawful encampment from campus is not an action we wanted to take or have taken lightly. For the past month, we have sought to de-escalate campus disruptions and road blockades, and encouraged the voluntary disbanding of the unlawful encampments. The individuals at the encampments have been repeatedly informed about the policies that their actions violated. They continued to ignore university directives, including those related to safety, and have sought conflict, actively escalating tensions within our campus community, harming those who are simply trying to learn, teach, and do their jobs in support of our educational mission.
Despite negotiating in good faith over the course of a full week when the encampment first began at the Quarry Plaza in an effort to reach its voluntary removal, we were unable to come to an agreement that was within our authority and aligned with the values of UC Santa Cruz. As the chancellor for the entire university, I must be firm when the demands of one group undermine the rights of others. In this case, the demonstrators demanded that we end relationships with organizations that support our Jewish students and funders that support important student success work and happen to be Jewish organizations. They demanded that UC Santa Cruz divest from and boycott companies affiliated with Israel, a demand that the UC Office of the President has already addressed and deemed unacceptable. Most worryingly, they demanded that we curtail the foundational right of academic freedom by condemning the use of funding from select federal agencies. Functionally, the encampment wanted to prevent our researchers from pursuing research related to topics with which they disagree. This is a dangerous precedent and to give in to it would undermine academic freedom and make our academic community vulnerable to the values of whatever political force seeks to prevent free inquiry.
As we have shared in previous messages, we continue to be ardent supporters of free speech. While some actions by individuals fall within First Amendment protection, many other activities over the past weeks did not, and should be called what they were: unlawful disruptions, vandalism, and intentional harming of our community. Because of this morning’s events, the campus community will continue to notice a higher presence of law enforcement on campus.
We know there will be disagreement about this decision and the steps taken to support campus safety. However, our ultimate responsibility is for the safety and well-being of this campus. It was a necessary decision at a critical time.
Sincerely, Cindy
Cynthia Larive Chancellor

Friday at last! And, with it, a new chapter!
This is the last chapter of the fourth arc and next arc will start Monday. However, I might have a little surprise before then...
[Previous] [First] [Next] [RoyalRoad] [Discord] —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Felix broke away from the group as the celebrations really took off. He gave a speech, a few simple words of encouragement and then faded into the background.
The reason? In his hands was a note, a note written by Yarnel…
In truth, Felix had nearly forgotten about the pixie dragon along with their contract. However, now that the eggs were hatched, Yarnel was free, so to speak. The dragon no longer had to remain hidden.
Thank the Gods he didn’t just crash the party. He tightened his grip around the note. He made his way to the edge of the clearing, hoping to slip away into the forest unseen.
The evening air was humid with the sun getting ready to rest for the night. In the distance, clouds were gathering. More rain, it seems. Hopefully–
“Hmm? What are you doing out here?” a voice asked from the treetops just ahead of him.
Squinting, Felix could just make out a familiar figure. “Ithea–”
The dragon woman fell from her perch and landed on the ground.
“–What are you doing…” Felix trailed off, glancing away for a moment as Ithea adjusted her purple dress.
“I am bored, if I’m being honest," she answered with a shrug.
“Bored? Wait, aren’t you aware– No, nevermind, you wouldn’t join either way.” Felix made it to her. “Still, you know you don’t have to sit out, right?”
“Hah! And bring the mood down? No thank you. I know when I am not welcomed.” She waved his concern away. “But I appreciate the offer,” she added.
He frowned at that. “Listen–”
Ithea shook her head. “Felix, I was watching. I don’t have to be there to know how it all went.” She looked away and muttered, “Besides, it brings back…memories.”
Opening his mouth, Ithea cut him off again. “Anyway, you didn’t answer– Oh, I see.” She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Good luck,” she patted his shoulder.
Felix cocked an eyebrow at her. “Luck?”
“Yeah, luck. You saw how he was originally?”
He nodded.
“That’s when he has someone to talk at. You took that away from him for a couple of days… You are about to pay for it.”
A shiver ran down his spine. “I…see.” I’m going to need a plan to deal with him, aren’t I?
She gave him one of her signature icy smiles. “I hope so…”
With that, Ithea let him go.
Felix continued his journey into the forest, going deep enough to not be easily spotted. He took his time, wanting to come up with something that might help him deal with Yarnel.
Eventually, though, he came up with an idea. With that, he soon found a small meadow that he decided was perfect for their meeting.
Finding a large root sticking out of the ground, he sat down on it and–
“Finally! I’ve been waiting forever! You sure do know how to take your time.” A pixie dragon appeared above him, floating and looking rather displeased.
With a sigh, Felix put on a fake smile. “Hello to you as well, Yarnel.”
“Humph! We need to make this quick, I am missing important data.”
“Relax–”
“Relax?! Do you understand what you are saying? No, of course not. Shall I explain it to you?” The pixie dragon lowered himself to be at eye level with Felix.
“Yarnel,” he responded sternly. “I apologize for any inconveniences, but… Thank you.”
That caught the little dragon off guard. “Thank…you?”
Felix gave him a genuine smile. “Yes, thank you. Thank you for keeping your word, and thank you for not just popping into existence in front of everyone. Instead, you sent me this note,” he held it up. “Thank you.”
Yarnel gazed at him, unsure how to respond.
Felix pushed on, hoping this tactic would help placate the dragon. “It must have been hard, having to stay hidden. You could only observe from a distance… I’m sorry for that.”
He paused for a moment, checking to see if Yarnel would respond. When the dragon didn’t, he continued. “It was a stressful time, and I made you do something you clearly didn’t want to do. I’m sorry.”
Finished, Felix decided to wait and watched as Yarnel lowered himself down to the ground.
“I… No one ever apologizes. They merely just call me a nuisance– Buh! What do they know?! Only reason anyone even cares about me is because I’m the one responsible for, well, everything.”
That last part caught Felix’s attention. “What do you mean by ‘everything?’”
The little dragon perked up, a sly smile forming. “I mean everything! It was my calculations that allowed us to teleport to this island. The barrier spell that protects the island? My original spell.”
Yarnel held up a taloned hand and an instant later, several large crystals appeared and floated above it. “Mana crystals, very potent and almost impossible to form synthetically– That means unnaturally. Anyway, I’ve mostly mastered it…”
Felix leaned back as if being assaulted. However, it was clear that Yarnel wasn’t just boasting for the sake of it. He’s…excited. Was he just looking for validation? There’s got to be more to this.
A moment came for him to ask that very question. “Is it true– I mean, do people not really appreciate you?”
Yarnel blinked, acting like he was caught off guard. “Well… Not exactly, I must admit– But! Many fail to understand the magnitude of my research.” A wistful expression overtook him for a moment. “Queen Fea understood… Perhaps, maybe you do as well.”
Felix shook his head no. “I’m afraid not, however, that’s sort of why I wanted to talk with you…”
The dragon lifted himself up onto his legs and peered up to him. “Oh? You wish to learn? Well, there is no better teacher than I.”
“Well… Look, I don’t have a great understanding of magic. I’ve been struggling with simple spells, despite being able to manipulate mana. Though, I suppose I’ve learned something recently.”
Yarnel lowered himself. “And what is that?”
Felix chuckled, “To ask nicely.”
The dragon cocked his head in puzzlement. “To ask nicely?”
Deciding to demonstrate, he held up his hand and closed his eyes. Please… A moment later a shifting, yet stable ball of mana formed in his hand.
Yarnel gasped as he opened his eyes. “Intriguing! It’s rare to see mana in such a state!” The pixie dragon scurried up and poked it. The ball protested but held its form.
“Truth be told, I already knew you could manipulate mana. I just hadn’t realized it was to this degree– Ah! This makes so much more sense now!”
“What do you mean?” Felix asked.
“In the den, with that young male elf! I saw you performing something quite remarkable. The only problem was the density of essence and mana! It made it nearly impossible to understand without me getting closer…”
He dropped his concentration and let the mana ball dissipate, much to the dismay of Yarnel. “Wait, you were there for that?”
“Yes, yes… Ithea kept me back, said I would only cause trouble. Now, please, bring it back. I want to study it a bit more.”
Obliging, he called upon his mana again…
***
Felix emerged from the forest as night fell. Ahead of him, near the hatchery, a large gathering of kobolds was forming.
What’s going on? He called out to Zira, unsure if he should be concerned or not.
Finally done? Good, you are going to want to see this…
What’s happening? he asked, picking up his pace.
Watcher is possessed.
Felix nearly tripped.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watcher stood with his arms raised, gazing straight up into the sky. As everyone looked on with concern, he watched the multiple futures play out before him.
The first was a peaceful one, races of all kinds stood together smiling, laughing…
The second was starkly different. Fire filled the sky, ash falling like snow, the burned bodies laid smoldering where they fell. It was as if Hell had come and taken over…
Then there was the last one, the last vision… This one was something of a mixture of the first two. It had various races fighting, surviving, and helping each other. Fire was a constant threat, but hope lived on.
Out of the three, the last one seemed to be the most likely outcome. It was little comfort, however. Many still lay dead, burned, and unburied. Still, there was a promise of a better future, just one that would have to be fought for…and won.
“The False Lord is sending his Champion, be wary and cautious. They are not in sync but Hell follows him, a mere puppet…” The words leaving his mouth were not of his, but it did not matter. He believed in them.
“A shadow stalks the land, recruiting the unsavory. Disruption and deceit are his specialty, the foolish his tools. A plot is underway.”
With a gasp, Watcher felt her leaving his body. Unsteady, he fell to his knees. He now truly understood…
“Watcher…?” It was Felix, the human cautiously approached. The hesitation and hint of fear was distinct in his scent.
“Mas…ter,” he croaked. With a shivering hand, he reached up and grasped the hem of Felix’s pants. “Watcher… I see–”
“Shh, it’s okay. Let me get you some water,” Felix whispered as he lowered himself down. A moment later a cup was handed to the kobold.
Watcher wasted no time in downing it, letting out a relieved sigh. He hadn’t realized just how thirsty he had become.
“Feeling better?” the human, his Master, asked.
“Watcher…better. I thank Master.”
His Master smiled. “You’re welcome.” There was a pause, but Watcher had a feeling he knew what was about to be said. “Can you tell me what that was about?”
He nodded. “She possess Watcher–”
“She? Do you mean Fea?”
Watcher shook his head, no. “She feel like old Master… But she no old Master. She is–” Watcher stopped, searching for the right word within his small, but growing, vocabulary.
“She is Goddess.”
His Master’s eyes widened. “Goddess…?” He muttered, looking up from Watcher and to Eri. Watcher did not see her expression but his Master’s reaction was enough.
“She help Watcher. She show Watcher… Watcher think it old Master– Watcher wanted old Master…” He slumped down, only to be caught by Felix. “Watcher was confuse. But I see now. I know now.”
Shaking his head, the kobold pulled himself together and began to stand. “I see what we need. I see path we follow. She is spirit of kobold, of dragon…” He stood tall and stared into his Master’s eyes.
“She is Guardian.”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Torm felt a cold shiver despite the warm night’s air. The sky was cloudy, the sound of distant thunder rumbled across the sky.
He and his caravan had finally made it to the base of the Gaelstone, the mountain that served as the dwarves’ home. Here, they would set camp and begin the process of unloading their wares. At least, that is what they normally did…
However, now, Torm felt the prying eyes watching from his shadow. In it was a monster, in it was perhaps the single greatest threat within the island.
Another shiver ran through him as a whisper brushed his ears.
Find the dwarf, Hansel. I will guide you.
Torm gulped, the entrance to the mountain home was shut. No one was allowed in until morning, but he knew better than to talk back to his shadow. He had learned his lesson already…
Instead, he dropped most of what he was carrying, save for a small purse, and approached the cavernous entrance.
He felt the curious stares of his men as he passed by, but none said anything. In fact, most seemed to be enjoying what was sure to be a spectacle.
Torm ignored them, most would probably leave on their own after what happened in Bernel village. They had simply lost confidence in him, and the only reason they were staying now was to fulfill their contracts and to make a last bit of extra profit.
“Halt,” a burly, if small, guard shouted from in front of the gate. It could only be a dwarf, and he was in half-plate and chainmail, typical for most of the guard. His beard displayed magnificently for all to see. “Gate’s closed, check back in the morning.”
Torm took a deep breath, reaching for his merchant talent. “I understand, but good sir–”
“I said the gate is closed. I don’t care what your reason is, I’m not letting you in.” The guard narrowed his eyes.
If this were an elf, Torm would have given a bow and leaned heavily into politesse. But this was no elf, and he had plenty of experiences with dwarves. He knew what would make them listen.
Reaching for his purse, Torm pulled a singular item from it. The dwarf’s eyes widened at what he saw.
“Perhaps now you will listen?” He asked, holding a purple scale.
The guard gave him a suspicious look. “Is that–”
“A dragon scale, yes,” Torm whispered. “And it could be yours, if you let me through. Fear not, I am not here to cause trouble… Just to see an old friend.”
“An old friend, huh? What’s your name?”
“Torm,” he said with confidence.
“T–” The dwarf coughed. “I see, I apologize, I have not had the pleasure of meeting you.” The dwarf gave a slight bow, a sign of deep respect in their culture.
Torm cocked an eye at that, indeed this guard didn’t look familiar, but he hardly paid much attention to them. “New to the guard detail?” he asked.
The dwarf shook his head, “No, retired actually– Well, I was, but they are activating a lot of us again.”
“Interesting, why? Has something happened?” a hint of real curiosity in his voice.
The guard lowered himself needlessly and glanced around before answering. “Council says trouble is brewing, especially after that…human showed up. They’re worried, and our sage has been suspiciously quiet on the subject.”
“Ah, indeed. I’ve heard about him… Baffles the mind why the Dragon Queen would allow such a thing.”
“Hah, I know. But to be honest, I’m not too worried. The guard at least promoted me and bumped my salary, along with compensating me for the lost business…”
“That is good to hear, but alas I need to get through…” Torm held out the scale towards the dwarven guard.
“Very well, give me just a moment.” The dwarf quickly pocketed it before heading off to a side entrance carved into the stone walls of the cave.
A few minutes later, the gates cracked open and a short, stubby hand appeared, waving for him to enter. “Quickly! And be quiet… The other guards are too busy drinking, but they’ll get suspicious if they see or hear you.”
Torm quickly entered, and gave the guard a smile. “Understood, and thank you. I hope the rest of your watch goes uneventfully.”
“Hah, I hope not… Nothing worse than nothing happening.”
“I see, then I hope entertainment finds you.”
The dwarf patted the spot where he stashed the scale away. “Oh, I think I will find some good entertainment for sure… Anyway,” he cleared his throat.
“Welcome to Gaelstone.”
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Previous] [First] [Next] [RoyalRoad] [Discord]
So we have, Felix managing to trip up Yarnel and possible got a new teacher out of it, Watcher spreading the word of his 'God,' and we get an update on Torm. Overall, I'd say we got a lot out of this chapter. But what do you think?

So I am trying to put together firm sets of ideas however there are many situations in books or even in online dictionaries where there are no characters given. If anyone can help clarify these ideas I would be very grateful as words and definitional arguments are really important in understanding culture and symbology with the Japanese. Chat GPT can lie frequently so I thought that with the Japanophiles lurking on the Judo subreddit this might be a good opportunity to clarify ideas.
Ji and Ri. 自/理??? Ji = Inherited wisdom for learning/mastery. Conscious competency Ri = Unconscious competency with mastery and reflexive use of the learned skill
Ri = 理 Truth, principle and justice Riai = 理合 Harmony of principles
Shu Ha Ri shu (守) "protect", "obey"—traditional wisdom—learning fundamentals, techniques, heuristics, proverbs ha (破) "detach", "digress"—breaking with tradition—detachment from the illusions of self, to break with tradition - to find exceptions to traditional wisdom, to find new approaches ri (離) "leave", "separate"—transcendence)—there are no techniques or proverbs, all moves are natural, becoming one with spirit alone without clinging to forms; transcending the physical - there is no traditional technique or wisdom, all movements are allowed
Are they the same Ri or different Ri? Every book or article on Ji versus Ri has NO CHARACTERS.
Fudoshin 不動心 Immovable Mind Fūryū 風流 Elegeant/Graceful Hono Embu 奉納演武 The ritual of Martial Demonstrations/Competitions in Shinto/Buddhist Shrines. Hoshin 放心 Freed mind Iki 粋 Sophistication and refined elegance. i-no-kokoro 意の心 Heart of intent (Musashi) Isshin 一心 To fully commit Jobutsu 成仏 Become Buddha AND the process of becoming enlightened Jukuryo danko 従教利贍 To work religiously and benefit others Kanwa 緩和 Relaxation and moderation Kegyo 稽古 Martial + Shingon. To study ancient texts. Chinese = examine ancient past. Korean = Old or reflect/learn Kenshō 見性 One’s own true nature or initial enlightenment/satori. Kiotsuke 気をつけ Attention and alert Mujo 無常 Impermanence and embracing it for wisdom Muga 無我 Egolessness/No self Mukiryoku 無気力 A person disengaged and indifferent to change/life Munen Muso 無念無想 A state of mind cultivating stillness and devoid of unnecessary thoughts. Musha Shugyo 武者修行 Warrior pilgrimage. Training, knowledge, meditation, ability testing and religious immersion. Musō-ken 夢想剣 Dream sword. Related to the psychological and strategic elements of combat. Mushin 無心 The philosophy and concept of no mind in Zen. Reiho 礼法 Forms of respect Reikenden 霊剣 Spiritual sword transmission. The Tao, lineage, tradition and pedagogy of a school of swordsmanship Reimu 霊夢 Divine vision, revolutionary dream. Western = incredible epiphany of moral importance Sabishisa 寂しさ The bittersweet solitude and loneliness in impermanence. Saki o tore 先を取れ Seize the initiative Satori 悟り Incredible, fundamental revelation Seika Tanden 正下丹田 The most aware part of a Judoka’s body with their centre of gravity and centre of Ki. Seiryoku zenyo 精力善用 Maximum efficiency and minimal effort Senken 先見 To be prophetic of future consequences and domino effects Sen Sen No Sen 先先の先 Extreme unconscious competency Shin-ku-i no sanmitsu 身口意の三密 Three Secrets of Body, Speech, and Mind. How do they interact within someone? Secret to unifying all. Buddhist concept. Shoshin 初心 Beginner’s mind. Mind like a sponge or infant. Open to supreme learning/understanding from the ground up. Sojo soujou jita kyoei 相承 相乗 自他共栄 Mutual prosperity through mutual assistance and concession Zanshin 残心 Heightened awareness, leftover awareness Zen 禅 Meditate, completeness, a branch of Buddhism from Chinese esoteric Chan Shaolin.
If anyone has any they'd like to correct or add as maxims that could be used for better understanding of the internal versus external aspects of Budo that would be amazing. Lots of Japanese syllables exist in various varieties and I want to create a list of maxims/merits/virtues people can better understand.

Hello! I was previously on this site as 'MachineCogs', but I had some personal difficulties so left. But all's well now and I'm very excited to be beginning this series of posts I have planned. I'll just explain them first.
So, I love Star Trek. Like a lot. Like a crazy obsessional amount. I also love ranking things. So, now that I've finished my monumental Trek rewatch, plus the final season of DSC, I'm going to do a massive ranking of the entire franchise: every individual episode, every film, and every minisode. I've already done the ranking itself (added in the last season of DSC yesterday), and now will be laying it out here from worst to best. I'll be doing it in waves of 25 after this initial post, and will try to do it daily.
Before I get into it, I want to say that everything I am going to say is purely my very fallible opinion. If you think my choices are only logical, please say so! If you think my choices bring dishonour to the Empire, please say so! I really love discussing Star Trek with people and hearing all sorts of different views, so don't hesitate to comment if you want to!
Also, to further clarify, this ranking will include every episode of all 11 TV shows, all 13 films and all 15 minisodes (spread across Short Treks and Very Short Treks). So spoilers for all of it. I'm so excited for this. Without further ado, here I go. Engage!
919) These Are the Voyages... (2005)
ENT 4x22
Writer: Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
Director: Allan Kroeker
I doubt anyone will take issue with my placing this dead last. On my rewatch I realised I truly love ENT, and this ending ruins the series in every conceivable way. Sure, there's no way ENT could have had a fully satisfying finale, since it was cut short by about three seasons, but literally anything would have been better than this.
Firstly, the decision to have the final episode set on the holodeck of the Enterprise-D, with the whole thing circling round Riker and Deanna rather than the ENT characters, is absurd and disastrous. I get that they wanted this to function as a finale for Star Trek as a whole for the forseeable future, but this should first and foremost have been the ENT finale, and focused on the ENT characters. As it stands, they're sidelined in their own show as the entire thing is told from the TNG characters' perspective. It also takes place within the plot of The Pegasus for some reason, and the episode plays out a weak version of Riker's arc in that episode.
However, the crap doesn't stop there. The story the ENT characters are involved in is so small and anticlimactic: it's just a run-of-the-mill rescue story. Even Jeffrey Combs can't salvage it. Additionally, and most egregiously for me, is the despoilation of Trip and T'Pol's romance. I'll say more about what I think of it in later posts, but suffice to say I love it. Thus, I was infuriated when this episode says nothing happened between the pair after where we left off in Terra Prime; an utter waste.
And, of course, we then have Trip's death. Again, it's just such a small death, and serves only to sever a great character from Star Trek. Truly awful, as is the fact that Archer is cut off before he can give his speech at the founding of the Federation. The closing reading of the 'To Boldly Go' speech by three Captains of the Enterprise is hella neat, but it does not make up for how much of a nightmare this episode is. It feels so separate from the rest of ENT that I generally ignore its existence, especially since we were given a satisfying finale in the form of the previous episode, Terra Prime (more on that one later). In summary, an anticlimactic dreg that undermines the entire cast of ENT.
918) Light and Shadows (2019)
DSC 2x7
Writer: Ted Sullivan, story by Ted Sullivan & Vaun Wilmott
Director: Marta Cunningham
There are two main reasons I believe DSC Season 2 to be the worst season of Star Trek ever made. One is the portrayal of Section 31, which I will go into more detail on later, and the other is making Burnham Spock's sister.
I hate this decision so much because of how it is detrimental to Spock's character. One of the most compelling things about him from TOS was the story of his lonely childhood on Vulcan, ostracised by his peers and misunderstood by his father. It established how he didn't have a true home until he came to Starfleet, and set up his struggle between his Vulcan and human sides. Giving him a sibling who is also a misfit on Vulcan dilutes the story of his family life and weakens his character.
This episode is down lower than any other from DSC Season 2 because it deals very heavily with Burnham's role in Sarek's family, and demonstrates all the reasons I so dislike it. As well as disrupting Spock's story with his parents, I'm also left yearning for Burnham to have been given her own, original character, Vulcan foster parents. I adore the idea of a human raised by Vulcans, but why did the DSC writers feel the need to have Burnham raised by Sarek and Amanda? It weakens her story as well as Spock's.
The other plot with Captain Pike and Ash Tyler is also very bad, as it, like every other episode with them in DSC, fouls up the portrayal of Section 31. Tyler gives a defence of Section 31 to Pike, and it's framed in such a way that the audience is meant to accept it. The entire point of Section 31 is that they are an indefensible organisation; a group who betray everything the Federation stands for, causing death and devastation in other civilisations. Of course the people working for Section 31 believe what they're doing is right, but the audience isn't meant to agree with that. Portraying Section 31 as something that is morally acceptable fundamentally undermines Star Trek's optimistic future. The plot about the AI from the future is fine but boring.
917) Shades of Grey (1989)
TNG 2x22
Writer: Maurice Hurley, Richard Manning & Hans Beimler, story by Maurice Hurley
Director: Rob Bowman
And here we have the Star Trek clips show. Goodness knows this format is frustrating enough in a twenty-two minute comedy: in a forty-five minute production it's excruciating. The set-up, with Riker jabbed by an alien plant, isn't terrible, but the memories it leads into are a real chore to sit through. Going into them completely kills the tension, until the fast-paced final sequence, but even that is still unimpressive. Obviously there was nothing more they could have done for this one, what with the writers' strike, but wouldn't it have been better just to cut the season to 21 episodes?
916) Turnabout Intruder (1969)
TOS 3x24
Writer: Arthur Singer, story by Gene Roddenberry
Director: Herb Wallerstein
I am a firm believer in not holding an old TV show to modern standards; it's entirely unfair. TOS has multiple moments of sexism throughout its run, but mostly it's a stray comment or a small element. Those I can easily ignore. But this... the sexism is so fundamentally built into the episode that I just can't tolerate it.
It's not just a case of one line in this episode; the whole thing is one massive misogynistic message, namely that women are too emotional and unstable to be Captains. Janice Lester's desire to be a Captain is portrayed as unreasonable and beyond her natural abilities. We see her becoming increasingly unstable throughout the episode, ultimately losing control of the Enterprise because of her violent emotions.
This message that women are too emotional for a Captaincy is simply disgusting, and it's all capped off by Kirk's final line that 'She could have been as happy as any woman... If only... If only' As in if only she'd been happy to be a woman, which means not being a Captain. That kind of thinking just makes me want to throw up. This is an episode best consigned to the dustbin of history, with Janeway giving it the middle finger.
915) Code of Honour (1987)
TNG 1x3
Writer: Katharyn Powers & Michael Baron
Director: Russ Mayberry
We've had the sexist episode, now we have the racist episode. I decided to put this above Turnabout Intruder because I feel that, had the alien species been cast multiracially, then the demonisation of black people would have been avoided. I mean the episode would have still been a sh*t production about a lazily realised honour-bound people, but at least it wouldn't have been racist.
As it stands, this episode portrays black people as brutes and barbarians, with the men abducting women and betraying their wives. A shame that one of the episodes focusing on Tasha Yar is so offensive; but even aside from this it's still uninspired and uninteresting. A vile portrayal of black people; it's truly shocking and disturbing that Star Trek, which was and is such an anti-racist franchise, could ever contain such a horror as this.
914) Project Daedalus (2019)
DSC 2x9
Writer: Michelle Paradise
Director: Jonathan Frakes
This epitomises the terrible portrayal of Section 31 nu-Trek, and especially DSC Season 2, peddles. This episode is centred around the Discovery crew breaking into Section 31's base. Section 31 does not have a base. They're a shadowy, rogue organisation, that exists outside the government of the Federation and pursues its own agenda. They have their origin in an obscure part of the Starfleet Charter, but that's as far as their public presence goes. If you make them a public wing of Starfleet, like DSC Season 2 does, then that makes it seem that Starfleet condones their activities, which they would never do, and suggests that their actions are morally acceptable, which is an awful, un-Trek thing for Trek to do. This is an attribute which affects virtually all of DSC Season 2, but it's at its worst here.
Aside from this central issue, I'll just say that the Control storyline is dull and uninspired; we've seen sentient computers trying to destroy all organic life before, in Star Trek and other science-fiction. Ariam's death is fine, but am I really meant to care? So much weight is attached to this character I haven't connected with at all.
913) The Way to Eden (1969)
TOS 3x20
Writer: Arthur Heinemann, story by Michael Richards & Arthur Heinemann
Director: David Alexander
This is just... bizarre. And not in a good way. It makes sense that TOS would do an episode about the hippy movement, and it makes sense that they would have the Space Hippies be anti-technology. However, the hippies are just so cartoonish and laughable that it ends up derailing the whole episode. Any meaningful commentary on how technology has perhaps taken over 23rd Century life is drowned out by all the Space Hippies' weird antics, from shouting 'Herbert!' at Kirk to throwing concerts. I will say I do quite enjoy Charles Napier's singing, though; he's definitely the best of the hippy characters. The end reveal that Eden is an acidic, poisonous planet is pretty cool and gruesome, but that doesn't make up for this fever dream of an episode. I do not reach.
912) Up the Long Ladder (1989)
TNG 2x18
Writer: Melinda M Snodgrass
Director: Winrich Kolbe
I think this would have been much better if they'd dropped the comedy Irish folk, and just had the episode be about the decaying society of clones. I picture an episode where, asked for their genomes by the colonists, the Enterprise crew must struggle with the moral dilemma of whether they should let a society die or let other versions of themselves walk around, harming their sense of individuality. They knock on the door of this with Riker's plotline, but it's portrayed too quickly and simplistically: he just kills his clone and nobody speaks against it.
As for the episode we actually got, it's a messy debacle, where the two plotlines, one of the old-timey Irish colony, and one of the super-advanced clone colony, never really gel. There's some decent comedy with the old-timey colony, like the man who gets drinks from the replicator, but that's about it. Beyond that this episode is just dull and muddled.
911) Sub Rosa (1994)
TNG 7x14
Writer: Brannon Braga, story by Jeri Taylor
Director: Jonathan Frakes
Long before I had ever watched TNG, my mum always used to say: 'Oh, there's an awful one with Beverly's grandmother.' I have to admit that this episode is actually a pretty good time to watch, because it is just so exquisitely awful. For a start, the setting is weird and random: a recreation of the Scottish Highlands. I suppose it was to give a spooky rural atmosphere to the story, but any chance of that is destroyed by how laughable the story itself is. Beverly just gets really horny for this ghost in a lamp, and they end up having ghost sex, until the ghost possesses the dead body of her grandmother. I laughed out loud at the line 'You're not Nana; Nana's dead!' It was the culmination of all the ridiculousness of the episode. Also, my mum has pointed out to me that Beverly's unfiltered desciption of her sexual 'dreams' to Deanna is out-of-character for her, as she is a private person. So bad it's good.
910) The Lights of Zetar (1969)
TOS 3x18
Writer: Jeremy Tarcher & Shari Lewis
Director: Herb Kenwith
And rounding out my bottom 10 we have this, possibly the most boring, pointless episode in Star Trek's history. It features a dull Scotty romance interrupted by a dull space cloud enemy. It just feels like nothing happens in any scene, and I never feel any real tension. The climax is just as boring as the rest of the episode, and is an anticlimactic defeat for the Zetarians. If nothing else, this episode is a good sleeping pill. I genuinely have nothing else to say.
909) The Naked Now (1987)
TNG 1x2
Writer: DC Fontana, story by John DF Black & DC Fontana
Director: Paul Lynch
Ooh, The Naked Now, you so narrowly missed out on being in my bottom 10! TNG is my second-favourite Star Trek show, but it really did have some shockingly bad episodes in its first 2 seasons. This is a lacklustre and laughable sequel to a great TOS episode, The Naked Time. In that episode the disease that ravages the crew wasn't just portrayed as making them all drunk, but as something that brought out their inner emotions. It was a moving way to gain insight into the characters, and it was a good idea to have the TNG encounter the same virus in their first season. But do they use it to the same effect? No.
This episode treats the virus completely as if it is a drunk-disease, and we follow the characters as they engage in all sorts of ridiculous, uninhibited activities. Not least of these is, of course, the renowned 'fully functional' scene. I will give credit to Patrick Stewart and Gates McFadden for playing their nonsense amusingly, but their storyline is still rubbish. In a final blow against the episode, we get the first instance of Wesley saving the ship. This is a terrible trope from TNG Season 1, where Wesley consistently sees things the adults don't and uses his child genius to save the day. It's unbearably contrived and saccharine, here and elsewhere. TNG really had a bad first couple of weeks after the pilot.
908) The Magicks of Megas-tu (1973)
TAS 1x8
Writer: Larry Brody
Director: Hal Sutherland
I think TAS is generally an OK show, but it does have some dreadful outings. This is the worst of them: a too-crazy storyline where the Enterprise crew meet the Devil and discover another realm where magic is real. It's also pretty messy, with Lucien showing the crew around for a bit, before they're all taken to trial by the other denizens of the realm. Kirk's standing up for Lucien, despite the fact that he is known on Earth as Lucifer, is a very nice moment, though, and his magic battle with the head magician is gloriously insane. Spock telling him he 'must believe' in order to perform magic is a bit much, though. Overall, an ugly, untidy episode.
907) The Alternative Factor (1967)
TOS 1x27
Writer: Don Ingalls
Director: Gerd Oswald
Not quite as mind-numbing as The Lights of Zetar, but pretty close. From the beginning my interest in near nil, with some uninteresting special effects and an equally uninteresting guest character in the form of Doctor(s) Lazarus. Lazarus talks a lot about this evil man he's chasing, and it is a neat twist that that man is another version of himself from a parallel universe, and that he in fact is the villain of the piece. However, this leads to a lot of Lazarus jawing about the great threat, with little actually happening beyond this in the episode. His boring interactions with the crew are interspersed with repetitive fight sequences, with the camera turned negative. The scene between Kirk and the good Lazarus is OK, as is Kirk's final line 'What of Lazarus... and what of Lazarus?', but these can't make up for how stupefyingly dull this episode was.
906) A Night in Sickbay (2002)
ENT 2x5
Writer: Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
Director: David Straiton
I've got a few things to say about this episode. The first time I watched this, I thought Archer was being influenced by some malign alien, with how out-of-character he was acting. I love dogs, so I do understand why he's so angry over Porthos getting sick, but he acts so unreasonably and unstably, and it's just nothing like him.
I will say there's some fun to be had with Archer and the brilliantly acted Doctor Phlox, for example when they're chasing the latter's Pyrithian Bat. However, mostly their conversations are the key part of this episode I hate, because it is implied within them that Archer feels sexual attraction towards T'Pol. I love their relationship for being an example of a strong platonic bond between a man and a woman, and so I despise that they tried to imply something sexual between them here. It just makes me go 'Yick'. The conclusion, with Archer dressed up in ritualistic gear to apologise to the aliens he offended, has got to be one of the most ludicrous things I've seen in Star Trek; and again, not in a good way.
905) If Wishes Were Horses (1993)
DS9 1x15
Writer: Nell McCue Crawford, William L Crawford & Michael Piller, story by Nell McCue Crawford & William L Crawford
Director: Robert Legato
Forget Move Along Home; this is the absolute worst episode of DS9. Silly apparitions surrounding a dull anomaly storyline; an unwelcome cocktail indeed. The submissive apparition of Jadzia who's all over Julian is quite funny, but that's the extent of the enjoyment I get out of this. The Rumplestiltskin and baseball player apparitions offer no value and the revelation that they're a bunch of aliens exploring the galaxy doesn't intrigue me. Oscillates between being dull and too silly, and mostly is too silly.
904) Threshold (1996)
VOY 2x15
Writer: Brannon Braga, story by Michael de Luca
Director: Alexander Singer
When Brannon Braga is on his A-Game, he is one of Trek's best writers. This is decidedly not one of those times. The idea, that Tom Paris breaks the Warp 10 barrier, and then strange things begin to happen to him, is pretty good, but the execution is wildly bad. He slowly degrades in sickbay, where we get a bunch of so-so talk from him about his childhood, and he gradually gets more and more unhinged, in a manner which I don't enjoy. These scenes just get arbitrarily cut off, it seems, when Tom breaks out, abducts Janeway and steals a shuttle. Then, of course, the infamous part of the episode happens, as Tom and Janeway transform into salamanders and have little salamander babies. Just what was Brannon Braga thinking when he wrote that? A super weird, unsatisfying execution of a good idea.
903) Once Upon a Planet (1973)
TAS 1x9
Writer: Chuck Menville & Len Janson
Director: Hal Sutherland
The TOS episode Shore Leave was a good idea that ran out of impetus later on. This episode doesn't even have the distinction of having a good idea; it just rinses and repeats its live-action predecessor. The fact that the planet's computer is questioning its purpose after the death of the Keeper is kinda interesting, but ultimately the whole affair falls flat. I don't think I have anything else to say... uh, there's a dull but functional B-story on the Enterprise, I guess? Whatever.
902) Fair Haven (2000)
VOY 6x11
Writer: Robin Burger
Director: Allan Kroeker
Absolutely the worst holodeck episode. I guess I can see the purpose of the idea: lost in the Delta Quadrant, a Captain doesn't have nearly as many opportunities for romance as the rest of the crew. But that doesn't mean I approve of this episode's existence. It's boring time-filler: the holographic boyfriend thing doesn't interest me, and the whole thing feels cheap and faintly absurd. There is one legendary moment: 'Delete the wife', but other than that this is an insult to Janeway's character and an embarrassment to Star Trek.
901) Babel (1993)
DS9 1x4
Writer: Michael McGreevey & Naren Shankar, story by Sally Caves & Ira Steven Behr
Director: Paul Lynch
In contrast to the too-silly episode of DS9 I've just reviewed, this one is one of the franchise's most dull. The aphasiac virus, which makes all the crew start to speak nonsense, feels like an obfuscation on the writers' part, disguising the fact that they couldn't come up with an interesting story. The whole thing is a boring babble, and I'm grateful when it's over.
That's the end of this part. Thank you very much for reading, and Live Long and Prosper!

The purpose of this post is not only to serve as a reflective piece in regards to the war and what led up to it but to detail the likely political outcomes that will arise following an (almost certain) Israeli victory, as well as to suggest measures and positions I think people should take that would result in the best outcomes for humanity. Feel free to critique any of the points I bring up, preferably directly with quotations instead of going on tangents after skimming it.
As of writing this post, we are in the beginning stages of the Rafah offensive, an offensive which signals the closing period of the war following Hamas being ousted from power in large swaths of the Gaza Strip. ~1.3 million Palestinians are currently taking refuge in Rafah.
For years many people observing the conflict have warned against irredentism and irredentist policies as a flame to the fire of the conflict. It is objectively true that while Israel undoubtedly has the benefit of being the dominant power in the region, Jews make up either just under half or barely half of the people in the region from the river to the sea. Yet despite this, right-wing Israeli parties with explicitly irredentist wishes have repeatedly won elections in Israel both local and national for decades leading up to Bibi's nearly twenty-year term(s) with some brief stints in his reign. In spite of Israelis' "democratic" desires and their desire to maintain Israel as a Jewish-majority state, they are still very much pushing for their irredentist ideas, which, chiefly due to unfavorable demographics, find themselves at odds with ideas of democracy and maintaining the Jewish character or Jewish majority of Israel. In essence, Jews essentially need no more than a "comfortable" minority of enfranchised Arabs in their state, so that they are able to sustain a Jewish political majority and keep democratic processes intact. This concept of what certain % of Arabs in a Jewish state should be a worry was well explained by Ben Gurion himself:
"Addressing the Central Committee of the Histadrut (the Eretz Israel Workers Party) days after the UN vote to partition Palestine, Ben-Gurion expressed his apprehension, stating:
"the total population of the Jewish State at the time of its establishment will be about one million, including almost 40% non-Jews. Such a [population] composition does not provide a stable basis for a Jewish State. This [demographic] fact must be viewed in all its clarity and acuteness. With such a [population] composition, there cannot even be absolute certainty that control will remain in the hands of the Jewish majority... There can be no stable and strong Jewish state so long as it has a Jewish majority of only 60%.[130]"
How do they accomplish their irredentist desires to the best of their abilities while maintaining a Jewish-majority state that they (the Jews, with a 'comfortable' minority of Arabs) can vote for democratically? I like this passage from an interview with Ilan Pappe that explains what occurred following the Six Day War, though I also like this comment which explains the options presented to them well:
"Democratic Zionism hinges on a Jewish majority and full rights for minorities. Territorial expansion is poison: The moment Israel conquered enough land that Jews were a minority in the territory it controlled, the Jewish political majority can only be sustained artificially through the disenfranchisement and segregation or outright expulsion of the Arabs, aka apartheid and genocide. It's also self perpetuating because the people who managed to enrich themselves by dispossessing Palestinians of their land will want to hold on to their ill-gotten gains and will block-vote for fascist parties that perpetuate the occupation. Rather than surrender occupied land, irredentists would expel or exterminate the locals, and this way you get genocidal Kahanists as a mass movement."
While there was a "Naksa" in 1967 it wasn't large enough to counter these issues. As a result, Israelis opted for the perpetual disenfranchisement and in many ways segregation of Palestinians while simultaneously building and expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank. In addition to this, following over two decades of the PLO's struggles against Israel culminating in the first intifada and subsequently the Oslo accords, Israel made use of the PA to function as the governing power of what can best be compared to Bantustans for Palestinians within Israeli-controlled territory. They are not independent in any meaningful capacity and have historically served the role of lapdogs for the Israeli government. Their function, aside from parading a veneer of Palestinian "autonomy" or pseudo-independence, is - whether by design or by default - to serve as a pain reliever for the Israeli government against accusations of disenfranchisement and apartheid, the P.A's faux authority over Palestinians is regularly brought up as a means of ignoring the state of affairs which in effect is a system of apartheid against Palestinians. Essentially people often like to separate the PA-controlled areas enough from Israel so far that they compare them to say Canada and the United States in an attempt to absolve Israel of its oppressive domination over Palestinians and all the negatives that come with it. There's a reason comparing border checkpoints on the U.S-Canada border and checkpoints in the West Bank doesn't work. There's a reason Israel's "border wall" is unique from other border walls around the world. Of course how the P.A came to be is more complex than this but this is the role they serve in reality. For the same reason the existence of Bantustans for black South Africans excluding them from the political system did not serve as a meaningful justification for the state of affairs they were forced to endure, the Bantustans Palestinians currently have is not enough to dissuade all accusations of apartheid against the Israeli government. Israelis still directly govern hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Area C and they still indirectly govern millions of Palestinians in Areas A and B of the West Bank, not only by holding unyielding power over the P.A, punishing them whenever they are too out of line (more recent example here), but in effect Israel controls virtually every aspect of Palestinian society and even basic means of how and when they can travel outside of their tiny Bantustans or enclaves and to where. For some people who've seen my other comments, this might sound like I'm a broken record but it's important I get the point across. What does this "state of affairs" entail?
Well for many years settler violence has undoubtedly been a problem Palestinians faced. More often than not when it is brought up in official and non-official capacities people trivialize the settlers and their backers, underestimating them as a fringe subgroup in Israeli society. This cannot be further from the truth. If you are interested in learning about how fundamental the settlement movement is within the Israeli government, some of the inequalities Palestinians face, and who exactly they target aside from Palestinians here is an excellent piece by the New York Times comprehensively covering the history of the settlement movement and how they have so stringently permeated Israeli political culture. Please pay attention to what they wrote and try to read the entire thing instead of skimming it, it is well-written and informative.
As I've said above for many years now Israelis have repeatedly elected political parties stringently in favor of increased settlement of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, take Likud's charter for instance (Likud has been in power and the dominant party in Israel for the better part of two decades by now). I linked a comment of mine with the source highlighting the relevant bits due to character limits on posts, but feel free to read through the entire platform. This is precisely the platform Israelis have elected to represent their interests, although it must be stressed not all Israelis agree with these views, obviously. It is not a secret that Bibi and friends are expansionists to the depths of their soul, Bibi for instance has made an innumerable amount of public appearances and statements in favor of Israeli expansionism, settlements and annexations. On numerous occasions, he has pushed strongly for annexing portions of the West Bank before things like the Abraham Accords disrupted them. Now that you understand at least part of the significance of pro-settlement sentiment in Israeli politics, it shouldn't be hard to understand the aforementioned issue of settler violence. In a UN report from September 2023 prior to October 7th, it was revealed that settler violence has displaced over 1,100 Palestinians just since 2022 alone. Since October 7th the number of incidents of settler violence has increased. To use a more anecdotal example, I had this to say about a then-disbanded settlement near my family's village in the West Bank under the second quoted part, (can't copy-paste due to character limits for posts).
The Palestinians were compared to the KKK in that very thread, but this outpost was re-established the following year, and lo and behold I found this in the New York Times just a few months ago, please just read through the bits I highlighted in the article at least. In that same article a Jewish settler literally uses the “We’re here because God gave us this land in the Torah,” (his exact words) argument to justify the illegal outpost. Side note but this type of thing is precisely why people in general must take a stance on "personal" religion in matters even tangentially related to politics, under even the slightest bit of scrutiny it is anything but personal. It is instead in large part an arbitrary set of reactionary and hostile beliefs that one feels are immune from criticism which subsequently affects political discourse and leads them to break international law and/or commit heinous acts of violence as well as derail efforts to reach a peaceful resolution. Let's not delude ourselves into believing secular parties like Likud are any better but religious fanaticism is also a problem. Hopefully this puts the issue of settler violence more into perspective.
Some of the more common occurrences that have been occurring for a while and that I've been complaining about include Israeli authorities engaging in beating (including of little kids) Palestinians, kidnapping Palestinians often arbitrarily, including innocent Palestinians, torture, and murder, including of little kids (another example) and regularly, theft both big and small, and often arbitrarily engaging in the destruction of property (desecration of Shireen Abu Akleh's memorial, destroying roads, pretty much any and all national memorials) as well as desecration of mosques (Exhibit A) (Exhibit B), administrative detention and keeping countless Palestinians imprisoned without a right to trial, and you get the point. This is just in the West Bank. Any attempt to respond to these actions is met with what is quite clearly articulated here and here. Any Jew from anywhere around the world can move to settlements in the West Bank sometimes specifically made for immigrants where they're then able to vote and live under civilian law/rule while their Palestinian counterparts are disenfranchised and living under military rule. Palestinians are banned from obtaining legal permits to build anything in the overwhelming majority of the West Bank, whereas settlers routinely build settlements on land stolen or expropriated from Palestinian localities or privately owned Palestinian land, only to have their outposts and settlements legalized and expanded, as was the case with numerous outposts that were 'legalized', like Homesh, which is the focus of the article I linked above.
This state of affairs simply isn't sustainable for Palestinians. The kleptocratic Palestinian authority and all the major players in the Arab league have time and time again offered a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as its capital and Shtayyeh even called for it to be demilitarized with land swaps. The issue is that no matter how "liberal" Palestinians are, or to what extent they increase or decrease terrorism, Israelis simply see their domination over the West Bank the best, most safe and comfortable option. As Ilan Pappe explains:
"In 1967, the government treated the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as a natural part of “Eretz Israel,” the land of Israel, and this attitude has continued ever since. When you look at the debate between the right- and left-wing parties in Israel on this issue, their disagreements have been about how to achieve this goal, not about its validity."
I and other people far smarter and more knowledgeable than I am have already anticipated every security concern that could come out of a Palestinian state and they are pretty much all solvable, whether it be by demilitarization, land swaps, ensuring cooperation, some limited troop presence or a combination of all these things and more. It's the irredentism amongst Israelis, sprinkled with religio-historical fetishism also coupled with the resources (including but not limited to groundwater) present in the West Bank that simply makes it seem like holding on to such a large chunk of an important territory is worth all the disenfranchisement, oppression and humiliation Palestinians have to face, only perpetuating the conflict.
As far as they (by they I mean Israeli irredentists) are concerned, a few Palestinian lives being taken every year is a small price to pay for the West Bank, "mowing the grass" in Gaza every now and then isn't ideal for them, while there's a lot they'd like to change, they know they simply can't ethnically cleanse or genocide Palestinians, therefore they can essentially just wait the Palestinians out, solidify their control via settlements, Olim (or jewish immigrants) and later annexations and no one can stop them. Even the United States and a plethora of the world's nations had already begun to recognize Israel's "right" to annex East Jerusalem. Same with the Golan heights which was annexed even with the approval of "leftist" Israeli parties. As far as they're concerned they could replicate the situation with the Golan heights and East Jerusalem in parts of the West Bank leaving behind enclaves for Palestinians until those inevitably fall under Israeli control as well.
This technique of slow death simply was not accepted by Palestinians. Like any other group of people, when faced with the situation they faced in the West Bank they took up a long-winded campaign of guerilla warfare. Do not mistake this statement with me saying every instance of violence by Palestinians can be excused because of this, absolutely not. The massacres on October 7th do not fall under the umbrella of justified violence/resistance against the occupation. But Palestinians in large part did carry out genuine methods of counter-attacks against their oppressors or soldiers/militants/combatants in the West Bank. The Palestinians weren't so complacent to the plans of Israelis to have them continually locked in within a grey area or kept in limbo until Israel was comfortable with it's majority enough to annex some more land. It is not reasonable to value the comfort of the Israeli state in it's irredentist ventures against Palestinians naturally having to react to their frustrating state of limbo. This limbo and statelessness excludes Palestinians from basic human experiences as a dignified people other people often take for granted and keeps them in a perpetual state of oppression.
It must be stressed, though, that Israelis misusing the amount of power they have to reach a peaceful resolution does not mean we as Palestinians don't also need to work with them, we absolutely do.
Above my focus has mostly been on the West Bank, now I am shifting to the Gaza Strip. If you thought what was above is bad, its nothing compared to what has been going on in the Gaza Strip.
Following the Second Intifada Palestinians got a blank slate in the Gaza Strip but were still plagued by the plight of other Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem (as well as parts of the diaspora), the failure of secular Palestinian politics in granting Palestinians proper independence, coupled with growing Islamist influences following the failure of predominantly secular governments in the Six Day war and following conflicts led to Hamas and other Islamist groups like the PIJ gaining a pretty much never-ending reserve of frustrated Palestinian youth that they can recruit from. To the dismay of Palestinian parents for example in Nablus, which however is in the West Bank.
I have long believed that Hamas is an evil organization at its very core which is kept alive by the constant stream of (rightfully) frustrated Palestinians (and foreign funding from oppressive regimes like that of Iran) who Hamas and allied groups then use in order to follow their short-sighted policies of meaningless terrorism often including against Israeli civilians in Israel proper as a garbage alternative to striving for peace. Here is an exhaustive list of just some of their attacks you can sift through. Their carelessness for protecting Palestinian lives is highlighted by the fact that not a single bomb shelter was built for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Whether or not these bomb shelters don't exist as a result of their resources being used to build/develop Gaza's complex tunnel warfare system/other military installations/weapons or because as some theorize Hamas deliberately wants as many casualties as possible is mostly irrelevant, in all cases the bottom line is the same, these groups regularly drag the Gaza Strip as a whole into wars while Palestinians basically have nowhere to take shelter in. This degree of incompetence or as some theorize outright malice in protecting Palestinian lives also serves as a pain reliever for basically any and all civilian casualties that arise from Israeli strikes. When Israel committed that particularly terrible strike on the refugee camps in Rafah a few days ago that killed over 45 people (where there was a video of a beheaded baby being held) it was justified or noted by the IDF (and noticeably by a Saudi paper almost immediately, make of that what you will) that two Hamas officials were reportedly there who engaged in militancy against the IDF in the West Bank, before Bibi called the entire strike a mishap and a tragic mistake. Israelis are so used to killing dozens or hundreds of Palestinians in one fell swoop and having it justified since Hamas doesn't provide Palestinians with bomb shelters which covers up or casts a cloud of doubt over their strikes/operations that it still thinks this behavior is fine when Palestinians are decidedly in regions where they don't live/don't have access to bomb shelters. Israel warned civilians to move, but this seems pointless since militants (or rather anyone just tied to Hamas, who Israel also targets) could also move with them since they also obviously live amongst civilians. It feels like virtue signaling, as Hamas members can blend in with civilians and relocate as instructed. This makes the warnings ineffective. People with more expertise in this field can clarify this or correct any misconceptions I have.
Even if we were to say this claim about the officials isn't dubious the fact that no one accepts the same premise when rockets are fired at Tel Aviv or cities in Israel where military/governmental institutions and officials are located in or near shows some degree of double standards. As a matter of fact, There are a ridiculous amount of plaques (you can search some of them yourself here) dotted all over Israel commemorating buildings that were used as places to store weapons, train militants etc. while they were schools, religious buildings and hospitals by the Irgun, Lehi and Haganah. There is something deeply disturbing about the IDF publicly using Hamas' tactics of storing weapons or having command centers in or near civilian areas and infrastructure to justify killing thousands of civilians in the process when the IDF's emblem stems from their predecessor which did the exact same thing, yet they celebrate them and it's apparently only bad when Palestinians do it. Just to be clear I don't agree with the practice of shooting missiles at Israeli cities but having no problem with killing many civilians because one official or something might live in the same proximity to them strikes me as very wrong.
Yes, I am aware all forms of resistance are punished, functionally Israel does not care whether you are targeting Israeli civilians in Israel proper or violent Israeli settlers/combatants/soldiers in the West Bank, you will be arrested, tortured and imprisoned for the rest of your life if you are caught resisting Israel or attacking basically any Israelis in almost any capacity, that is if you somehow don't manage to get killed on the spot. In spite of all this we must still be aware that this is irrelevant to the fact that what Hamas did on October 7th is not only morally abhorrent to anybody with a soul, but is ultimately just a garbage policy even for us Palestinians and does not qualify as any meaningful form of "resistance". Some pro-Palestinians will unfortunately try to cherry-pick instances of militants going into homes and not harming the people there but sorry, this does nothing to placate the fact that Hamas and friends were involved in murdering civilians on a mass scale. I suspect people will accuse me of some form of "bothsidesism" but both Hamas and friends as well as Israel have demonstrated time and time again that they are fine with carrying out horrifying and murderous actions.
Israel's behavior in the Gaza Strip thus far has been nothing short of abhorrent. whether it be murdering elderly civilians (another example, and another example of murder), arbitrarily destroying civilian homes, infrastructure (including mosques as seen here and here), universities and schools, mass murdering Palestinians (Exhibit A), (Exhibit B), not to mention the mass graves and starvation as a weapon of war, you get the point. As you can see in many instances they voluntarily recorded and uploaded these things to social media. Israel is slowly but surely going to take power over millions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip directly, they will be under direct Israeli rule, Israelis' responsibility if no deal is worked out where the P.A or something takes over and will remain very close to Israelis. Palestinians collectively know Israel isn't there to "save them from Hamas" as is portrayed on their Twitter accounts, this behavior and keeping them in concentration camps is a good way to ensure Palestinians remain entrenched in political violence against Israel, no one cares when Avichay Adraee speaking Arabic embarrasses himself on Tiktok and tries to disway Palestinians from becoming militants, treating Palestinians with humanity is the best way to ensure they don't regress into further political violence.
As this war has demonstrated Palestinians simply cannot afford to try and achieve ridiculously idealistic and unrealistic goals in the face of such a dominant superpower let alone using such animalistic violence. I am well acquainted with the extent of irredentism present in Palestinian society (both in Palestine and in the diaspora), while it can match that of Israelis, at the very least the corrupt kleptocratic P.A is the only genuine force in the region interested in a two-state solution. Even one-stater Palestinians have celebrated the recent recognition of Palestine as a state by Norway, Spain, Ireland and Jamaica (might be missing a few), which is a point to strengthen my camp's base as a means of proving we actually manage to get at least parts of our vision done. I understand Palestinians are frustrated with their state of affairs, and yes I am aware of the plethora of IDF soldiers present in the casualties of October 7th that are constantly referred to as innocent civilians including in the state of the union address, none of this does anything to justify raping women or killing kids. Hostage-taking is another issue, for many years hostages were used by Palestinians as a bargaining chip since they were crucial to freeing countless unlawfully imprisoned Palestinians, eventually, the hostages were returned to their families once again, no lives were taken and Palestinians advanced their quest for liberty, Hamas and friends simply are far too different from the Palestinian militants of old, they deliberately kidnapped children on top of all the murder, rape and destruction they put forward. I do not care that some of the hostages said they were treated well or weren't harmed, children are off-limits and their actions were not only pointless and detrimental to the Palestinian cause, but also downright evil.
Hamas and their allies are sure to be dealt a critical blow as a result of this war and their heinous actions, as is Bibi's government, what is going to unfold in the coming years, following this colossal and seismic shift in the political culture and what courses of action or positions are best to take? I'm not a political analyst so this part is going to be lackluster but thats fine because I want to generate discussion/critique about any part of this post.
As recent opinion polling would show, popularity for Bibi's government has been steadily declining following his re-election in 2022, initially mainly in response to Likud's plans for the judicial reform, and particularly following October 7th. Following the attacks on October 7th, the National Unity Alliance (made up of Gantz' blue and white, New Hope and independents) is leading the polls, though the inverse is slowly starting to come back true again. Now following October 7th, Gantz' party has formed a war cabinet with Likud, and Gantz was appointed as a minister without portfolio in the thirty-seventh government, led by Bibi. What does this mean for Israel's following elections? Well I don't know. I'm not being facetious here, it's just that Israel is notorious for having a metric crap ton of new parties that keep popping up and dissolving. Case in point, Yamina which existed for only three years, one of it's founders Bennet was the prime minister of Israel briefly. Their politics are very volatile. What's important here is the data showing Bibi being dealt a critical blow. The plethora of protests against Bibi's government even before October 7th aren't an indicator that Bibi's political career will survive much longer. The ICC's warrants only make him and by extension his country more of pariahs, even if as some say Israelis would generally stand alongside Bibi against the ICC, there's no reason to keep digging the hole they're in by re-electing Bibi over and over given the security failure and judicial reform.
Palestinian polling is a little less interesting since they don't have elections and now is a bit of an awkward time to ask people for political opinions (at least ones they come to on a clear head) but here is a comment of mine going over some political polling a little while before Oct. 7. I suppose we'll have to wait until this war is over to see what Palestinians think the next course of action is best to take, right now they're obviously concerned with surviving the turmoil. Aside from Hamas' looming destruction, the situation in the West Bank can easily just stay the same until Abbas dies, if people don't bother interfering with his rule on a mass and organized scale.
People's opinions are generally malleable, whether it be from Israelis and Palestinians. In favor of a 2ss and against it. Both populations are notoriously quite stubborn but they are not aliens and the hope for a 2ss isn't completely lost.
I'll talk a bit about the United States, given that they've been bankrolling this thing on a mass scale. Now I love the United States as a country for a number of different reasons, but I will not delude myself into believing they had anything resembling a right or coherent policy.
I don't think anyone needs an explainer as to how pro-Israel Trump is, but it's possible people aren't exactly familiar with Biden's history regarding Israel:
"In 1982, shortly before Reagan bluntly ordered Begin to cease his ‘holocaust’ in Lebanon, a young US senator who revered Elie Wiesel as his great teacher met the Israeli prime minister. In Begin’s own stunned account of the meeting, the senator commended the Israeli war effort and boasted that he would have gone further, even if it meant killing women and children. Begin himself was taken aback by the words of the future US president, Joe Biden. ‘No, sir,’ he insisted. ‘According to our values, it is forbidden to hurt women and children, even in war ... This is a yardstick of human civilisation, not to hurt civilians.’" (https://tinyurl.com/352k8zna) (https://theintercept.com/2021/04/27/biden-israeli-invasion-lebanon/)
Glossing over the absolute hilarity of Begin of all people talking about not killing civilians or women and children, when the population has to choose between Trump or someone who said the above quite clearly as a conscious adult political figure you're looking at trouble. Biden even attended and spoke at Herut's (Menachem Begin's old party) Zionist for America convention. Today of course he has milquetoast Democratic Zionist takes and faux sympathy for Palestinians, but at his core he is still a politician who (very poorly) adapts to his voter base. I don't think this is surprising for a vast number of politically active Americans, Biden's lifeline as a politician is people looking at him as a lesser evil to Trump. This is hardly the biggest issue though, virtually all U.S senators are currently being bankrolled by pro-Israel lobbying groups like AIPAC, this is all public information (see list of recipients and the top contributor organizations). Likely as a result of this, for instance, the house recently passed a bill that expanded the definition of antisemitism to include the one from the IHRA, which includes "Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor." as an example of antisemitism.
Apparently bringing up that Israel needs to uphold the Nakba to continue to exist is hate speech now. Even if it and other claims regarding racism of early Zionist leaders is backed up by innumerable quotations from Zionist and Israeli leaders. This trouble was amplified following the recent protests at U.S colleges and universities. Federal, state and local institutions, as well as countless violent mobs of provocateurs and citizens started a relentless spree of attacking protestors, shutting down protests, suspending students, and demonizing them. The liberal facade of these colleges fell apart when faced with the voice of the students at America's (and the world's) brightest and most well-known institutions. Snipers on the rooftops at colleges in place to target protestors and the violence we saw against students is simply unacceptable. This is nothing new. The same exact thing happened when they protested the Vietnam war, the Iraq war, etc. There was also a leaked audio call (apparently later they claimed it was public) from Jonathan Greenblatt who is the CEO/director of the ADL complaining about Tiktok (Confirmation by ADL themselves as real here). Soon after the house passes a bill banning TikTok. Also your nations' representatives shouldn't be signing missiles with "finish them" (another similar example), when those same missiles can result in the killing of many civilians and children in the process even if military targets are said to be the focus. Like even if the strike was going to target a legit horrible person or terrorist but it would have a number of civilian casualties, making a joke out of it or signing the missiles is not normal behavior. Perhaps for politicians it is. Otherwise you'd need to get checked for signs of sociopathy or something. Thankfully Americans are generally more than aware of how absurd stuff like this is. I'm not even gonna touch on some proposals from U.S representatives to essentially ethnically cleanse Gaza.
I don't think people are naive enough to believe there will be a warm peace between Israelis and Palestinians, however, that is irrelevant since what's needed is a cold but functioning peace and its up to reasonable people to spread the word that their interests generally lie in a two-state solution. As we have demonstrated above militancy in disgusting forms as it has been shown by Hamas when it is not needed is not only evil but a hurdle to the cause and as we have shown above so long as you consistently keep trying to further oppress Palestinians the evil that is inflicted upon them will undoubtedly fall upon your heads as well, i.e “A nation cannot be free and at the same time continue to oppress other nations.” either by only flaming the fire of terrorism and political violence by frustrated Palestinians or by autocrats like Bibi choosing to keep expanding their gains.
What Needs to happen?

1. First and foremost Israelis need to keep up the momentum against Bibi and friends based not only on their stints with corruption and aspiring dictatorial rule but also their security failures. I don't really care that Israelis are Zionists or whatever and I am not expecting them to chant "from the river to the sea", in fact I think that would be a hindrance. At a minimum push for some degree of humility amongst Israelis that lets them self-reflect upon their choices and policies on Palestinians thus far. While the press is not free for Palestinians under Israeli rule it's quite free for Israelis themselves to push this forward. Perhaps under a new government don't pull your ambassadors from countries who choose to recognize a Palestinian state and don't have your representatives at the UN pull childish stunts comparing awarding Palestine with just more privileges, not full-fledged membership, with "rewarding modern-day Nazis". We can start there. Hamas is not being rewarded with anything but an existential war they're losing with tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths in the Gaza Strip. Not only is the Israeli right detrimental to Palestinians but these right-wing parties, particularly the religious parties, are unironically and openly striving to turn Israel into a halachic and authoritarian state with the Israelis getting the short end of the stick as well. If I was an Israeli I wouldn't even vote for them, I know I talk a lot about Israel's pseudo-democracy in reference to their treatment of Palestinians, but these people are genuinely trying to undermine whatever democracy is left for Jews as well, they are aspiring dictators who regularly and openly talking about how they would use the judicial reform to target certain political opponents. And by Israelis here I mean Arab Israelis as well. It is well known that a large number of Arab Israelis simply boycotted the last elections, In 2022 only 53.2% of arab-israelis took part in the elections. This is simply stupid, use your privilege not only to improve your situation in Israel and help elect non-right-wing parties (since your communities are plagued with issues like organized crime last I heard,. and you are getting stepped over every other day for social media posts.) but also be a voice for the Palestinians.
2. In concert with the movements above, Palestinians need to abandon virtually all forms of irredentism, if putting pressure on Abbas to hold elections doesn't work and if he somehow doesn't die soon, exerting overwhelming pressure on his clique and subsequently deposing him after formulating a rational party and re-amplifying voices of reasonable people like Salam Fayyad is a good move, I don't like pretending to be an armchair general or trying to "plan" or really propose coup d'etats but him and his clique are essentially parasites on Palestinians so any thought that goes into ending their rule is good. I am not happy about your grandparents' sufferings as a result of the Nakba, nor am I asking you to love Israel. What I am asking is for people to acknowledge that your best interests lie in a two state solution. A ton of Palestinians and pro-Palestinians celebrated the recent recognition of Palestine as a state by some countries, want more of this, with all that it entails more permanently? Salvaging what's left of Palestine is the best option. Everybody and their mother already knows the cost of Hamas' carelessness. While yes, Palestinian oppression didn't start on October 7th, this war certainly did.
3. People in the West, I suppose just use your voting power to vote for candidates who can advance your country, not that of foreign nations' wars over its own via necessarily shilling tax dollars on them, as well as people who believe in maintaining a peaceful resolution over expansionism.

DAY: MAY 28 2024
5-28-2024

THE LIGHT OR THE CONTENT? WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT SCREENS AND SLEEP DISRUPTION

Too much screen time impairs sleep for children and adolescents, and it’s largely the content on those screens that keeps them awake. But it remains less clear whether the light from those screens also impairs sleep or whether and how screens directly disrupt adults’ sleep, too. That’s the consensus from 16 leading sleep experts, including two from CU Boulder, who published an exhaustive scientific review today on screen time and sleep in Sleep Health. “There’s a lot of research out there, but the messaging can
5-28-2024

WHAT SHOULD WE FEAR WITH AI IN MEDICINE?

Will the threats associated with artificial intelligence be as bad as some fear? Or will AI be relatively benign? Could the answer be somewhere in between? Perspectives on AI abound. Whether it be in medicine, security or education, new applications in search of an AI advantage continue to grow. This has prompted calls for well-intentioned restraint and regulation or, at the very least, slower growth and proliferation. To alleviate some of that fear, we should consider one area in which
5-28-2024

HOW TO KEEP FRUIT, VEGGIES AND HERBS FRESH FOR LONGER

We all know fresh produce is good for us, but fruit, vegetables and herbs have a tendency to perish quickly if left uneaten. This is because even after harvesting, produce from living plants tends to continue its biological processes. This includes respiration: producing energy from stored carbohydrates, proteins and fats while releasing carbon dioxide and water vapor. (Ever found a sprouting potato in your pantry?) On top of that, fresh produce also spoils easily thanks to various microbes—both harmless and ones that can cause disease, called pathogens. Simply chucking things
5-28-2024

RESEARCHERS EXAMINE BLACK MEN’S PERCEPTIONS OF LABELING AFTER A VIOLENT FIREARM INJURY

The way Black men see themselves after a firearm injury—whether as a survivor or victim—could change over time and have implications on their mental health, according to a Rutgers Health study. The study, published in the Journal of Urban Health, examined the role of racially coded language, sociodemographic and environmental contexts that support labels among Black men who experienced a firearm injury. Rutgers researchers sought to understand how Black men in a hospital-based violence intervention program perceive “survivor” and “victim” labels after experiencing a firearm-related injury. “The self-identification as a
5-28-2024

SCIENTISTS UNCOVER HOW OUR BRAINS TRY TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MUSIC- AND SPEECH-LIKE NOISE

Music and speech are among the most frequent types of sounds we hear. But how do we identify what we think are differences between the two? An international team of researchers mapped out this process through a series of experiments—yielding insights that offer a potential means to optimize therapeutic programs that use music to regain the ability to speak in addressing aphasia. This language disorder afflicts more than one in 300 Americans each year, including Wendy Williams and Bruce Willis. “Although music and speech are different in many ways, ranging
5-28-2024

MENTAL HEALTH BEGINS IN INFANCY, CHILD DEVELOPMENT EXPERTS TELL PARENTS

Did you know babies can get depressed? Andria Goss, associate vice president of clinical and community services at the Erikson Institute, a graduate school for social work, early childhood education and child development programs, said people are astonished when they learn and appreciate that fact. “Babies experience everything as a bodily feeling: If a parent is stressed, depressed and/or anxious, the baby is picking up on that,” she said. “Imagine a mom who has her own stresses and sometimes she’s able to focus on her baby and other times there’s
5-28-2024

NEUROSCIENTISTS USE AI TO SIMULATE HOW THE BRAIN MAKES SENSE OF THE VISUAL WORLD

A research team at Stanford’s Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute has made a major stride in using AI to replicate how the brain organizes sensory information to make sense of the world, opening up new frontiers for virtual neuroscience. Watch the seconds tick by on a clock and, in visual regions of your brain, neighboring groups of angle-selective neurons will fire in sequence as the second hand sweeps around the clock face. These cells form beautiful “pinwheel” maps, with each segment representing a visual perception of a different angle. Other visual
5-28-2024

STUDY SHOWS ORANGE PEEL EXTRACT MAY IMPROVE HEART HEALTH

Orange peels may hold a key to better cardiovascular health, new University of Florida-led research shows. The findings are published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women and people of most racial and ethnic groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recent research has shown that some gut bacteria help develop cardiovascular disease. When they feed on certain nutrients during digestion, gut bacteria produce trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). Levels of TMAO can help predict future cardiovascular
5-28-2024

A NEW WAY TO CONTROL HIGH BLOOD SUGAR

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by pancreatic malfunction and poor production of insulin. Imagine your pancreas is a factory for insulin, a key hormone that keeps your blood sugar level. Inside this factory are tiny assembly lines called pancreatic islets. When these islets get damaged, it’s like a mini-disaster in the factory. The assembly lines malfunction, and they can’t produce enough insulin. This can lead to
5-28-2024

CDC WARNS AGAIN OF SALMONELLA TIED TO BACKYARD POULTRY

Backyard chickens are causing outbreaks of salmonella across the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns. About 109 people in 29 states have gotten sick from salmonella after touching or caring for backyard poultry, the CDC said in a health advisory. Of those, 33 people have been hospitalized, the CDC said. No deaths have been reported. More than 2 in 5 people affected by the outbreak are children younger than 5, the agency added. Backyard poultry can carry salmonella bacteria even if they look healthy and
5-28-2024

CIRCUMCISION MAY REDUCE THE RISK OF HIV INFECTION

A randomized controlled trial comprised of 247 men who have sex with men (MSM) found that voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) can prevent incident HIV infection. These findings suggest that MSM should be included in VMMC guidelines. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers from China enrolled uncircumcised, HIV-seronegative men aged 18 to 49 years who self-reported predominantly practicing insertive anal intercourse
5-28-2024

SUGAR DOESN’T MAKE KIDS HYPERACTIVE, SUGGESTS NEUROSCIENTIST

It’s a Saturday afternoon at a kids’ birthday party. Hordes of children are swarming between the spread of birthday treats and party games. Half-eaten cupcakes, biscuits and lollies litter the floor, and the kids seem to have gained superhuman speed and bounce-off-the-wall energy. But is sugar to blame? The belief that eating sugary foods and drinks leads to hyperactivity has steadfastly persisted for decades. And parents have curtailed their children’s intake accordingly. Balanced nutrition is critical during childhood. As a neuroscientist who has studied the negative effects of high sugar
5-28-2024

IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD AS MUCH FRESH PRODUCE, ARE CANNED VEGGIES OR FROZEN FRUIT JUST AS GOOD?

The cost of living crisis is affecting how we spend our money. For many people, this means tightening the budget on the weekly supermarket shop. One victim may be fresh fruit and vegetables. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) suggests Australians were consuming fewer fruit and vegetables in 2022–23 than the year before. The cost of living is likely compounding a problem that exists already—on the whole, Australians don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables. Australian dietary guidelines recommend people aged nine and older should consume two serves of
5-28-2024

PROMISING RESULTS FOR HYPERLIPIDEMIA TREATMENT REDUCE RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS

Research led by Baylor College of Medicine has shown that a new therapy significantly reduces triglyceride levels in individuals with mixed hyperlipidemia—elevations of triglycerides and cholesterol. The results, published in the latest edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrate how the drug plozasiran works by targeting ApoC3, which is a key regulator of the lipoprotein particles that carry triglyceride and cholesterol remnants versus overall LDL cholesterol levels. “This is a story about elevated triglycerides, which remain a problem in many individuals that I see in my practice,” said
5-28-2024

STATINS ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASED RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AND DEATH, EVEN IN VERY OLD ADULTS

A study of adults aged 60 years and older found that the use of statin therapy as primary cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention was effective for preventing CVD and all-cause mortality, even in adults aged 85 years and older. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers from the University of Hong Kong used a target trial emulation design to investigate the relationship between statin therapy and CVD risk using electronic health records (EHRs) from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority. The study included adult patients over 60 without preexisting
5-28-2024

SLEEP STUDY FINDS POST-KARAOKE STRESS IS STRENGTHENED BY REM SLEEP

We’re all familiar with the fact that the quality of our sleep has a strong impact on our waking lives. But what you may not know is that sleep stages contribute to how we process life experiences and memories in different ways. Deep sleep, or slow wave sleep (SWS), is associated with memory consolidation, which makes memories longer lasting. Our understanding of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is less clear: although it is associated with the way we process emotions and how well we remember more emotionally charged experiences, there
5-28-2024

FOR SOME ENDOMETRIOSIS-RELATED OVARIAN CANCERS, TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Two types of endometriosis-related ovarian cancer arise from the same cells but likely at different stages of the menstrual cycle—a nuance that significantly influences treatment response, reports a recent study led by Van Andel Institute and University of British Columbia scientists. The findings, published in the journal Cancer Research, have implications for better understanding and treating a pair of cancer subtypes that together account for up to nearly a
5-28-2024

PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED MENTAL HEALTH RISKS

A baby’s exposure to air pollution while in the womb is associated with the development of certain mental health problems once the infant reaches adolescence, new research has found. The University of Bristol-led study, published in JAMA Network Open on May 28, examined the long-term mental health impact of early-life exposure to air and noise pollution. Growing evidence suggests
5-28-2024

FOUR WAYS VACCINE SKEPTICS MISLEAD ON MEASLES AND MORE

Measles is on the rise in the United States. In the first quarter of this year, the number of cases was about 17 times what it was, on average, during the same period in each of the four years before, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Half of the people infected— mainly children—have been hospitalized. It’s going to get worse, largely because a growing number of parents are deciding not to get their children vaccinated against measles as well as diseases like polio and pertussis. Unvaccinated people,
5-28-2024

CANCER RESEARCHERS DISCOVER OPTIMAL CANCER-KILLING T CELLS

A team of cancer researchers, led by the University of Houston, has discovered a new subset of T cells that may improve the outcome for patients treated with T-cell therapies. T cell-based immunotherapy has tremendous value to fight, and often eliminate, cancer. The strategy activates a patient’s immune system and engineers a patient’s own T cells to recognize, attack and kill cancer cells. In this way, the body’s own T cells become living drugs. While
5-28-2024

AIR POLLUTION DURING PREGNANCY LINKED TO LOW BIRTH WEIGHT, STUDY FINDS

A recent study has uncovered a troubling link between exposure to PM2.5 air pollution during pregnancy and the risk of low birth weight in newborns. This study highlights the significant impact of air quality on prenatal development and emphasizes the urgent need for stricter air pollution controls.
5-28-2024

DEEP LEANING TECHNOLOGY SHOWS POTENTIAL IN PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY

In contrast to traditional cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT) is emerging as a novel
5-28-2024

3 CHILDREN HOSPITALIZED IN PUERTO RICO AFTER LIGHTNING STRIKES BEACH

Did you know: lightning can strike the same place multiple times? For example, the Empire State Building is reportedly struck by lightning roughly 23 times per year. Lightning struck a beach in the northern coastal town of Isabela during inclement weather Monday, injuring three children, one seriously, Puerto Rican police said. The children, whose ages ranged from 7 to 12, were taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Aguadilla, a police statement said. The oldest youngster was listed in serious condition, it said. No further details were released.
5-28-2024

CAFFEINE SHOWN TO AFFECT BRAIN DOPAMINE FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE

The effects of high and low consumption of caffeine on the brain’s dopamine transporter binding in patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Regular high caffeine consumption affects dopamine function in patients with Parkinson’s disease, shows a new international study led by the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital in Finland. Caffeine consumption before undergoing diagnostic brain dopamine imaging may also affect the imaging results. The research results were published in the Annals of Neurology on 20 May 2024. Previous research has shown that
5-28-2024

STUDY REVEALS CIRCADIAN CLOCK CAN BE LEVERAGED TO ENHANCE CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY

STUDY FINDS BLOOD CLOT RISK IS INFLUENCED BY ANGLE AT WHICH PULMONARY VEINS REACH THE HEART

5-28-2024

LIGHT THERAPY INCREASES BRAIN CONNECTIVITY FOLLOWING INJURY, STUDY FINDS

5-28-2024

STUDY SHOWS OVERLOOKED LIPID IS CONNECTED TO ANCIENT CELLULAR PATHWAY WITH LINKS TO CANCER

5-28-2024

RESEARCH IDENTIFIES MECHANISMS FOR SELECTIVE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS TREATMENT STRATEGY

5-28-2024

CHATBOTS ARE POOR MULTILINGUAL HEALTH CARE CONSULTANTS, STUDY FINDS

5-28-2024

COUNTRIES AT ODDS OVER HOW TO REIGNITE PANDEMIC AGREEMENT

5-28-2024

SILIBININ, AN OLD AND NEW MOLECULE

5-28-2024

NEW REPORT REVEALS FATHERHOOD’S HIDDEN HEART HEALTH TOLL

5-28-2024

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AUDITORY CUES AFFECT BODY REPRESENTATION AND VICE-VERSA?

5-28-2024

TARGETING ‘MONSTER CANCER CELLS’ COULD REDUCE RECURRENCE RATES AFTER CANCER THERAPY

5-28-2024

RESEARCHERS PROPOSE SURGICAL ALGORITHM FOR NASAL ALAR DEFECTS IN ASIAN PATIENTS

5-28-2024

EFFECTIVE LYMPH NODE TRANSFER EASES ARM SWELLING IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS

5-28-2024

INVESTIGATING HYPERACTIVATION OF MEMORY CIRCUITS AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE RISK

5-28-2024

RESEARCHERS DEVELOP 3D MODEL TO BETTER TREAT NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS

5-28-2024

EXTERNAL VENTRICULAR DRAINAGE TIMING IN TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY MAY RESULT IN BETTER LONG-TERM FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES

5-28-2024

RESEARCHERS GENETICALLY MODIFY E. COLI BACTERIA WITH PART OF HIV VIRUS IN BID FOR SUCCESSFUL VACCINE

5-28-2024

NEW STUDY SHOWS ABDOMINAL OBESITY AND MUSCLE WEAKNESS IN 8-YEAR-OLDS

5-28-2024

EXTRACORPOREAL SHOCK-WAVE LITHOTRIPSY, ENDOSCOPY BENEFICIAL FOR PANCREATITIS

5-28-2024

CONSIDERABLE VARIATION SEEN IN MORTALITY RATES FOR SUSPECTED SEPSIS

5-28-2024

CONJUGATED EQUINE ESTROGEN MAY INCREASE RISK FOR OVARIAN CANCER

5-28-2024

RISING COSTS OF HEALTH CARE COVERAGE CONTINUE TO PUT FINANCIAL STRAIN ON EVEN THE PRIVATELY INSURED

5-28-2024

RESEARCHERS URGE IMMEDIATE ALCOHOL REGULATION TO CURB VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, KIDS

5-28-2024

STUDY OF DEADLY AUSTRALIAN JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS STRAIN PROMPTS PUSH FOR NEW VACCINE

5-28-2024

STUDY FINDS TEXT REMINDERS HELP IMPROVE HEALTH CARE WORKERS’ MENTAL HEALTH

5-28-2024

RESEARCHERS DEVELOP MINIMALLY INVASIVE SCAFFOLD DELIVERY SYSTEM USING DYNAMIC THERMOSET POLYURETHANE

5-28-2024

MIGRANTS MUST BE A FOCUS OF CATCH-UP VACCINATION CAMPAIGNS, WARN GLOBAL HEALTH EXPERTS

5-28-2024

SPECIFIC MICROBIAL HALLMARKS IN VAGINA COULD INDICATE GYNECOLOGICAL CANCERS

5-28-2024

PEOPLE COMING OFF ANTIDEPRESSANTS ARE LOOKING FOR HELP ONLINE, UNDERSCORING A GAP IN TRADITIONAL CLINICAL PRACTICES

5-28-2024

CASES OF BACTERIAL DISEASE RISE IN BRAZIL’S FLOODED SOUTH

5-28-2024

MEASLES CASES SURGING AGAIN IN EUROPE: WHO

5-28-2024

ETHICAL APPROACHES TO MITIGATE H5N1 BIRD FLU

5-28-2024

PHARMACISTS PROVE EFFECTIVE, LESS COSTLY CARE OPTION FOR MINOR ILLNESSES

5-28-2024

RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY PROMISING PROTEIN CANDIDATE FOR METABOLIC DISEASE TREATMENT

5-28-2024

NEXT-GEN KNEE TRAINING MODEL HEADS FOR GLOBAL MARKETS

5-28-2024

POTENTIAL FUTURE TARGET FOR TREATING PRIMARY HEADACHE DISORDERS IDENTIFIED

5-28-2024

GENETIC MOSAICISM MORE COMMON THAN THOUGHT, STUDY SHOWS

5-28-2024

NEW SEQUENCING METHOD ANALYZES LUNG MICROBIOMES TO PREDICT MORTALITY IN CHILDREN FOLLOWING BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT

5-28-2024

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS URGENT NEED TO TACKLE HEALTH CHALLENGES FOR MIGRANTS IN EUROPE

5-28-2024

ONE IN EIGHT PREGNANT PEOPLE HAVE A DISABILITY, BUT REPORT SHOWS GAPS EXIST IN THE PROVISION OF ACCESSIBLE CARE

5-28-2024

BINGE-EATING DISORDER NOT AS TRANSIENT AS PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT

5-28-2024

SAN DIEGO’S BIGGEST MEDICAL PROVIDER IS ALL IN ON ROBOT-ASSISTED SURGERY

5-28-2024

RESEARCHERS REFORMULATE ANTIPSYCHOTIC DRUGS WITH COATING THAT MITIGATES WEIGHT GAIN, BOOSTS SEROTONIN

5-28-2024

STUDY DEMONSTRATES HOW CYTOKINES PRODUCE LONG LASTING HUMORAL IMMUNITY FOLLOWING VACCINATION

5-28-2024

ENGINEERED CAR T CELLS REPRESS SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF ALLERGIC ASTHMA IN MICE FOR A YEAR

5-28-2024

NEW SWEAT MONITORING DEVICE DOESN’T REQUIRE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

5-28-2024

MATHEMATICAL MODEL EXPLOITS CANCER CELL PLASTICITY TO GUIDE ADAPTIVE THERAPY

5-28-2024

RESEARCHERS DISCOVER NOVEL METHOD TO PREDICT EFFECTIVENESS OF MESENCHYMAL STROMAL CELLS FOR CARTILAGE REPAIR

5-28-2024

RESEARCHERS IDENTIFY ‘DEGREES OF KEVIN BACON’ GENE IN WELL-CONNECTED FRUIT FLIES

5-28-2024

STUDY POINTS TO NEW COMBINATION STRATEGY FOR PANCREATIC CANCER

5-28-2024

RESEARCHERS ESTABLISH MICROFLUIDIC CONTROL TECHNOLOGY FOR BLOOD TESTING DEVICES

5-28-2024

PROTEOMIC SIGNATURES MAY INDICATE MRI-ASSESSED LIVER FAT

5-28-2024

RESEARCHERS ESTABLISH MICROFLUIDIC CONTROL TECHNOLOGY FOR BLOOD TESTING DEVICES

5-28-2024

PROTEOMIC SIGNATURES MAY INDICATE MRI-ASSESSED LIVER FAT

I put this through ChatGPT Omni to convert the text.
u/catpackplus shared it here and it wouldn't let me leave a comment.
https://www.reddit.com/dyscalculia/comments/1d4b9ov/found_old_paperwork_discussing_higher_education/
DYSCLACULIA AND COLLEGE
Dyscalculia or math learning disability / disorder will prevent you from meeting minimum quantitative reasoning requirements at the college level. For liberal arts majors, this usually means passing a class in College Algebra or Finite Math. Because a dyscalculic student will test into remedial math classes on placement exams, they will be directed to non-college level refresher courses, like Math 085, Elementary Math Concepts, and Math 095, Pre-Algebra and Elementary Algebra.
Unfortunately, the fast pace, large lecture format, and labs with peer support, are rarely sufficient to close the skill gap. The dyscalculic is forced to repeat the remedial courses in the hopes of moving forward, but ends up running into trouble when repeated failure devastates the GPA and results in inadequate academic progress, academic probation, and ineligibility for financial aid and scholarships. Payment for remedial courses also uses up limited financial resources, and results in significant debt accumulation when student loans are used.
The math skills of most adults with dyscalculia are arrested at the 4th grade level; but even when testing at 4th grade, almost all will demonstrate deficient first, second, and third grade skills. At grades 1 through 4, the adult usually knows what to do, but gets problems wrong because of "careless errors." The dyscalculic is not being careless, however, because the dyscalculic has no awareness of their processing problems. These processing errors affect visual-spatial input, auditory input, and touch input.
Like with color blindness and the inability to see or perceive specific color differences, the dyscalculic sees fine, but the brain does not process quantitative information accurately. This results in baffling, frustrating difficulties. A dyscalculic may not be able to add a column of numbers and get the same answer twice because the mind changes the numbers, unbeknownst to the dyscalculic.
The same brain processing that makes advanced math problematic also makes it difficult to process tactile quantitative information accurately. Some dyscalculics have difficulty discriminating the difference in size between coins and other objects, and have difficulty comparing groups of items to determine which contains more or less.
The processing glitches present as output errors in counting, decimal point and number alignment, lack of place value awareness, faulty recall of math facts, mixed up and missing signs and numbers, directional confusion during operations, inappropriate preservation of ideas, random number insertions, and abandoned processes.
During processing, working memory is slow and insufficient, the mind switches inputs, acts on erroneous information, omits important information, loses track of operations, confuses sequences, is ambiguous about patterns and the association of meaning to symbols, and blanks out.
The result is a student who is consumed with frustration, anger, and anxiety over the consequences of their inability to perform as expected. An anxiety or panic attack may ensue. After extended traumatic experience with math, the dyscalculic will hate it, avoid it, and may experience an anxiety response at the thought of having to perform.
Because the dyscalculic student can usually perform adequately in all areas except mathematics, they are prone to disgust and disbelief at their mysterious inability to demonstrate math competence. They will attempt to succeed through heroic persistence and determination. After all, they usually excel at reading, writing, and speaking, and most learning tasks come easily. While this positive attitude, diligence, and investment of inordinate time got them mercy grades through elementary and high school math, it rarely works in college. The dyscalculic is stonewalled in college because professors cannot give grades for effort, and must grade solely on independent, summative exam performance.
See Complete College America's report on dismal college completion rates for students who test into remedial classes.
What can be done?
(1) Waive minimum quantitative reasoning classes that require calculation.
(2) Substitute courses that teach appreciation for quantitative reasoning and the greater world of mathematics, but do not require math calculation and memory of operations. Dyscalculic students can successfully write, speak and create concrete demonstrations of mathematical ideas, and can learn the language of mathematics, but cannot perform successfully independently on cumulative exams that involve calculation.
(3) Pursue alternate paths to satisfy your College Algebra requirement and allow the use of just-in-time references during exercises and tests. Algebra Tools. Remedial Programs.
(4) Make math accessible to dyscalculic students.
(5) Pass-Fail grading for all courses involving quantitative reasoning components, or accommodations or academic adjustments for those components.
(6) Pass-fail grading for all remedial courses.
Facts to share with the Disabled Student Services Office:
Developmental Dyscalculia (Specific Learning Disability in Mathematics, or Mathematics Learning Disorder) Diagnostic code: 315.1
DIAGNOSIS:
A Student meets the criteria for a diagnosis of dyscalculia (i.e. specific learning disability in mathematics), when:
(a) Student consistently performs within the average or above average ranges on reading and writing tasks, and well below average on math tasks, and
(b) deficits are specific to sequential math memory, math working memory, math fact recall, mathematical reasoning and problem solving, math calculation, and general storage and fluent retrieval of practiced math skills; slow and insufficient working memory; and
(c) deficits are not due to inattention, illness, insufficient interest or motivation, anxiety, educational gaps, poor instruction, poor study skills, socio-economic circumstances, or other environmental causes.
CAUSE:
Research has proven developmental dyscalculia results from cortical abnormalities in regional neural organization in the left angular gyrus, particularly a reduction in grey matter in the left intraparietal sulcus; whereas acquired dyscalculia occurs after lesions to the left parietal lobe.
PROGNOSIS:
Student cannot overcome these cognitive impairments with typical approaches like tutoring and studying harder, alone, as these cannot lead to permanent math learning, math memory and math facility.
While the MLD student may be capable of executing guided practice, and demonstrating mastery through extended exercises; the dyscalculic is incapable of consistent retention of math material in long-term memory, and must relearn the concepts at each attempt.
The dyscalculic can learn of the nature of their mental glitches and the errors that result. They can utilize tools and strategies to minimize the impact of these cognitive inefficiencies and mistakes of speech, reading, writing and demonstrating quantitative ideas. They cannot, however, eliminate the condition entirely, or control the natural stress response that occurs when diligent effort does not result in success.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
Given these limitations, it is only reasonable to require:
(A) a dyscalculic's exposure to and demonstrated short-term and supported facility with the math course material required of his degree program; OR
(B) waiver of the math courses that require calculation and for which the dyscalculic is developmentally unprepared, AND
(C) substitution of those classes with courses that expose the dyscalculic student to math concepts, math language, math history, and math literacy without the need for exercises and assessments involving calculation.
Option A:
It is appropriate for the MLD student to cover required course material in a computer-mediated format, which tracks exposure and practice, requires demonstrated mastery of prerequisite skills before introducing new concepts, does not require performance on a cumulative final assessment, is self-paced, has just-in-time help for vocabulary definitions, concept demonstrations (review), instant feedback, and ample scaffolded practice until independence is achieved, and has instant tools for measuring, calculating, and color-coding operations.
Full course credit should be given for complete progression through the established curriculum, on a pass-fail basis (not calculated into GPA).
An acceptable format is the ALEKS program used by the University of Wisconsin-Madison for distance education and independent learning.